PunchforPunch: Stranger Things Season 3

PunchforPunch 07.04.19	It looks okay
MarsKid 07.04.19	Feel like the series could have been pretty cool if there were multiple paranormal phenomenon. I liked season 2 although I had a few problems with it, but another season dealing with the Upside Down is almost sigh-worthy for me. I'll definitely give them a chance to make it work.
Snake. 07.04.19	they should’ve just ended after season 2 the over-saturation of the second season in mainstream culture was obnoxious and I can’t wait for the same to be done with this season
PunchforPunch 07.04.19	Yeah Mars I agree with your sentiment there. And Snake, I don't know man. I'm kinda oblivious about the cultural impact of the show. I don't think its as ingrained as GoT though, and I don't watch GoT.
Gallantin 07.04.19	Two episodes in and this is somehow even worse than season 2. God damn the writing is horrific. Should have ended with season 1.
MarsKid 07.04.19	I don't like the sound of that. Gonna dip out and watch later tonight though, will probably avoid this thread in the meantime for spoilers.
bloc 07.04.19	Season 2 was pretty bad
Gallantin 07.04.19	Season 2 was very bad but still watchable. Season 3 so far, three episodes in and...it's actively driving me away from watching it. It's baaaaaad.
Bobshat 07.04.19	remember watching season one back when it came out, that shit was quality.
Slex 07.04.19	Snake you’ve officially replaced Gyro as the bah humbug in almost every damn post I see recently lol Anyways whatever y’all I watched the first episode of 3 and it was good
Rowan5215 07.04.19	got four episodes in before I'm turning in but yeah it was very good lol snox is gonna be snox the Will stuff in ep 3 was stunning, Noah Schnapp is the best actor in this goddamn cast tbh
Larkinhill 07.04.19	Reviews are really good. Sputners Can way too hard to please imo. You guys are way too....critical? Lol
Slex 07.04.19	Excited to hear that Rowbro
Gallantin 07.04.19	I don't know how anyone could watch that hamfisted pastiche of cliched writing, total 180 character spins, constant expository dialogue, overly in-your-face theming It's overwhelmingly poorly paced, written, and it's just sooooo bad it hurts.
WatchItExplode 07.04.19	I was wondering if I should catch up. Guess not. I only watched the first season and was a bit confused on how the story would progress.
dimsim3478 07.04.19	finished it. loved it. huuuuuuge improvement over season two. starts off like a silly teenage comedy-drama but i defy you to turn away after episode four. not perfect but so engaging and thrilling that i could not care less about its flaws. also that post credit scene was tantalising...
combustion07 07.04.19	I loved the first two seasons but I'm a sucker for alternate reality and mkultra type shit. Direction they went season 2 was a little disappointing at first but I still enjoyed
letsgofishing 07.04.19	Some actual giant demonic lovecraftian monster better freaking show up in this season. I'm tired of the blue balls.
Slex 07.04.19	Lol that is a fair criticism yea
Invaderbryan 07.04.19	Should have ended after season 1
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	Ehh the show's pretty good. I really liked it. Some of u are just too edgy.
Divaman 07.05.19	Just finished it. Not bad. I'm late to the this party, though. Only watched the first two seasons last month.
TheSpirit 07.05.19	I liked it more than the second season but not as much as the first.
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	hmm the finale was pretty weak. Winona is such a bad actress lol.
Deez 07.05.19	[2] Putting this off until ive done second season of 'Dark'
Slex 07.05.19	Winona is an amazing actress and I’ve heard from tons of people the finale might be the best episode of the show so I now definitely know better than to believe anything you say
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	What is Dark all about? its tagged with crime and mystery, but the summary says "family saga with a supernatural twist" so I'm a bit confused.
Slex 07.05.19	Super super involved time travel headfuckery, it is so good
Larkinhill 07.05.19	Been watching Big Little Lies — still on the first season but so good. Gonna start watching Euphoria on HBO, heard good things. Then I’m gonna rewatch season 1 of this (been so long) then jump on 2 (never watched) and 3.
Deez 07.05.19	hahah Shes definitely not an 'Amazing actress' Shes been teh worse thing about the Series by far for me, Makes me cringe its so bad. ' But yeah Time Travel heafuckery is about right for 'Dark' its great.
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	Yeah I'm not interested in gloomy melodrama. Been looking for something along the lines of Mindhunter but I guess I'll have to wait for season 2.
Gyromania 07.05.19	is it good? i liked season 2 but not as much as season 1. also that one episode in season 2 where she visits her sister is the worst thing ever, really hoping there's nothing like that this time around
Slex 07.05.19	Gyro that episode is very widely regarded as a huge failure and there is absolutely nothing like it in 3 and they never mention anything about it either lol Learned their lesson on that one I think Also yes Punch god I’m tired of waiting for new Mindhunter
Gyromania 07.05.19	that is awesome to hear lol. i was so hoping they wouldn't have some big spin-off thing or return to it again. def pumped to see it, hope it brings the horror back, i feel like that was lacking in season 2, barring a few really creepy scenes.
Slex 07.05.19	3 is way gorier and outright horror than maybe either season imo
Gyromania 07.05.19	not a fan so much of gore as i am supernatural horror (the babadook, IT, it follows, etc). i liked the first season because it had a lot of atmosphere and subtle horror.
Slex 07.05.19	Ah, this season definitely has more gore than usual, still has the supernatural stuff too but yeah Keep in mind I’m halfway thru episode 4, so
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	its not really gory, just a bit of body horror here and there.
unclereich 07.05.19	Almost done with s3 and enjoying it as much if not more than s2
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	yah its good.
Rowan5215 07.05.19	"hmm the finale was pretty weak. Winona is such a bad actress lol." goddamn this is the worst take possibly of all time congrats season was great, best finale they've done this show (this is admittedly not a high bar). it also really felt like it should be the final season, I don't know where they go from here
Slex 07.05.19	Cannot wait to watch more tonite
Gyromania 07.05.19	yeah wtf winona is great.
Rowan5215 07.05.19	you have to have missed like every movie released in the 80s or 90s to seriously think she's a bad actress, lmao. truly a baffling take this season starts off killer and it ends with an absolute knockout. it doesn't quite know how to get from A to B sometimes which makes episodes 5-6 seem a bit perfunctory, but I'll honestly take that over a killer start that just runs out of steam by the end, as 1 and 2 both did to varying degrees. it's also occasionally very silly - as this show has been from the start, I'm always confused when people treat this show like it's some watertight, subtly scripted drama and not a pastiche of influences done extremely well and by extremely good actors, which is what it was from the start.
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	Like fucking what Rowan5253? Fucking Beetlejuice? Heather? You seriously think those are good movies? or is it because the boner is too strong?
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	Shit man, next thing you tell me, Slater and Keanu are amazing actors too. Fucking bogan with shitty cinema taste.
Gyromania 07.05.19	the quality of the movies she's been in =/= the quality of her acting. and yeah keanu is a pretty great action star wtf? have you seen the john wick movies? lol dude's awesome
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	The quality of the movies he's been in =/= the quality of his acting.
Gyromania 07.05.19	i think he's pretty damn good at what he does. he does all his own stunts and he executes them superbly. guy has insane dedication to his craft, i can't even imagine how long the choreography took. so what if he doesn't hit the full emotional range? he plays to his strengths. dude's a straight up legend irl too.
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	Never said he's a bad dude gyro. He's an action movie star, I get that. C'mon now.
Gallantin 07.05.19	Keanu's a great actor If he was in season 3 of Stranger Things maybe it would have made the writing bearable
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	Yeah Keanu taking down the commies one man army style, that would've been great tbh.
Rowan5215 07.05.19	you're so full of shit I can smell it continents away @Punch
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	Oh snap
Larkinhill 07.05.19	Lol Winona is a great actress. Beetlejuice Heathers Bran Stoker’s Dracula Little Women Edward Scissorhands Girl interrupted (Oscar worthy here) The Crucible The Age of Innocence Reality Bites Yeah she has a few clunkers (what actor/reds doesn’t aside from maybe DiCaprio) but she’s good in all the movies listed. Not to mention this show!
DinosaurJones 07.05.19	I liked it. Hooray for me.
Larkinhill 07.05.19	Keanu is great, but can be a bit wooden. In the right role though? Yeah. Worst performance is probably Bram Stoker’s Dracula tho. Laughable bad in that lol. Slater was decent for a bit (best role is True Romance) but lost his goddamn mind.
Gyromania 07.05.19	who's slater and how did they lose their mind? also yeah keanu is a great action star but he has definitely had bad roles in the past. i'm glad he's playing to his strengths nowadays
Trebor. 07.05.19	New season is kinda bad but I like it anyway Biggest problem with Stranger Things is that it doesn't really have a plot. The characters just sort of do things and sometimes spooky things happen and then by episode 6 they realize there's supposed to be a story and then things finally happen for 2-3 episodes
Larkinhill 07.05.19	@gyro Christian Slater I assumed.
Larkinhill 07.05.19	He was in Heathers as well so I’m guessing that’s how he came up. And Keanu was in Dracula with Winona. Very random picks otherwise lol.
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	ya Treb they dropped some stuff like, what happened to Will's character progression? he got angry and destroyed the base camp and that's it lol.
Deathconscious 07.05.19	Season 1 was amazing, 2 was a disappointment. Didnt like the direction they took it in.
Doibhin69 07.05.19	season 1 > season 3 > season 2 nubs
Slex 07.05.19	Slater is currently incredible in Mr Robot tho
Larkinhill 07.05.19	Slex, that’s right man, had forgotten about it. Never watched but heard it’s great. I think Slater got a bunch of nominations for it. Something of a comeback I guess — always liked the guy, he just lost his mind on coke, then nobody would hire him but bottom of the barrel/straight to DVD D movies etc.
Slex 07.05.19	I’m not his biggest fan but yeah he’s a pretty interesting and idiosyncratic actor and is phenomenal in Mr Robot
Doibhin69 07.05.19	greetings and salutations
Deez 07.05.19	All those WR films have a semi tounge-in-cheekness to them. They are roles that fit her perfectly. Like Edward Scissorhands and Bram Stokers. Early Winnona was cool. Shes not actually that bad but Winnona 2.0 in all this series I find exceptionally bad in parts, overacting even. Its like that shit she did at the oscars but for 2 seasons.
Deathconscious 07.05.19	My issues with season 2: big bad government organization is no longer big or bad, the characters dont need to resolve that issue anymore because it turns out that it was just a few bad dudes running the show before and theyre gone now. Ta da! Oh, and one of them is even a nice and cool doctor that we can all like :D and i guess we're just gonna not address everything that went on there and all the other psychics? They had one episode where you finally see another psychic and its just wasted. It felt aimless. Season 1 felt like it was heading somewhere, season 2 was just all over the place. Where in the first season the four boys had a believable camaraderie, they feel weirdly disconnected in season 2. Killing Bob felt cheap. Like a "lets just introduce this character so we can have someone who dies" kind of thing. The mind flayer thing is kind of retarded. Like its shape and everything is nice and unsettling, but then you get a better look at it and idk. Looks like some kind of animated disney movie kind of creature. The show is getting repetitive. When El went to Chicago i was like "oh my god, fucking finally a change of scenery." I know that episode wasnt handled the best, but i didnt realize how much i wanted some sort of actual change. And then they just made it a one-off thing...great. Anyways, i could keep going, but ill stop there. Despite all of this i still thought it was ok and there were some great moments. Just a letdown overall.
PunchforPunch 07.05.19	Thank your for sharing, Adolf.
Rowan5215 07.06.19	"Shes not actually that bad but Winnona 2.0 in all this series I find exceptionally bad in parts, overacting even. Its like that shit she did at the oscars but for 2 seasons." I mean I won't even argue this because I think Winona and David Harbour overact the hell out of every scene, lmao. Winona goes super fucking hard in s1 to sell the frazzled mum thing even before Will disappears, though she chilled out a bit in subsequent seasons (and actually got some comedic moments in s3 which she nailed, always nice to see) but like go back and watch that Hopper/El argument scene in s2 and tell me Harbour isn't overacting the shit out of that. or even his scene threatening Mike at the start of s3 is like 100x harder that it needed to be, lmao. none of this actively bothers me because they're both very good actors who are just having fun with material which can occasionally be very very silly. it's an essential part of why this show is so damn fun
Gallantin 07.06.19	Yeah lol i love it when the characters become charicatures that are total 180s on their previous arcs and development
Gallantin 07.06.19	Its vital to the quality of the show when the writing deteriorates harder than a US sitcom after five seasons
Rowan5215 07.06.19	no idea what you're talking about as my comment expressly referred to the actors and how they've been acting since the first episode of the show?
Gallantin 07.06.19	The actors play characters in which the acting you describe is how the characters act within the story
Gallantin 07.06.19	i.e. the actors portraying their characters in a new fashion translates to the characters they portray being newly shifted with that portrayal Essentially every character is like Kevin in the Office going from a slow but not stupid to literally not being able to count to 5. But instead of that taking 9 seasons it happened like twice in three seasons. Almost none of the characters are the same as they were in season one, nor how they were in season two. Each season so far may as well be a completely different cast and story that's how wildly poorly written it is
Rowan5215 07.06.19	ehh nah. every character has being dumb shit since the start it just got glossed over cos the show was new and exciting. people convincing themselves s1 was somehow flawless amaze me
Gallantin 07.06.19	Characters were dumb in season 1 but thats okay when its the baseline for their growth. Theyre dumb in different, contradictory ways in seasons 2 and 3. It's such poor writing that undoes everything that came before it.
Gyromania 07.06.19	gallantin stfu
Gallantin 07.06.19	Look you can enjoy the show all you want but please someone acknowledge it's fucking dumb
Gyromania 07.06.19	if you're capable of better writing then why don't you have a more successful show on netflix? checkmate.
Gallantin 07.06.19	I already have, I wrote all of Breaking Bad
Gyromania 07.06.19	stranger things >breaking bad
Gallantin 07.06.19	Lol
PunchforPunch 07.06.19	Hmm interesting take, Gyno. I dont agree with your opinion, but i'll defend to the death your right to say it.
TheSpirit 07.06.19	"Almost none of the characters are the same as they were in season one, nor how they were in season two." The only person I would agree w/you on this analysis w/is Hop, and that only became apparent this season. The others were kids? Now they're transitioning into teenagers? Being dumb and inconsistent is kind of what they do?
Gallantin 07.06.19	Poor excuse to abandon character development
TheNotrap 07.06.19	The first session was cool, despite Winona's overacting. I didn't like season 2 first episode and I lost interest.
TheSpirit 07.06.19	yeah i guess teenage characters mirroring how actual teenagers act is pretty bad character development
Gallantin 07.06.19	It is, yes.
dimsim3478 07.06.19	unlike Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, i seriously doubt the importance of "character development" and "character arcs" in Stranger Things or the validity of measuring its quality against those standards. the show was fairly dramatic in its first season but at this point i think it's pretty freaking obvious that we're just supposed to be enjoying it as a piece of un-serious entertainment (like a superhero movie, or Back to the Future, or any other type of "summer blockbuster", which is how it's actually being described in reviews, and rightly so) rather than a serious, elaborate dramatic work. like, is Indiana Jones supposed to have "character arcs" and "character development" from movie to movie? as long as what he's doing is fairly consistent with his previous characterisations and the new character elements arent total shit, i dont know why anyone would be paying any attention to them.
Gallantin 07.06.19	"the show was fairly dramatic in its first season but at this point i think it's pretty freaking obvious that we're just supposed to be enjoying it as a piece of un-serious entertainment" This is exactly why it's bad now I get exactly what it's going for What it's going for is fucking terrible though Indiana Jones also sucks and all new character elements in season 3 suck, too
dimsim3478 07.06.19	"I get exactly what it's going for What it's going for is fucking terrible though Indiana Jones also sucks" you've made a lot of comments in this thread but i think these three lines say it all
Gallantin 07.06.19	Unfortunately I don't think just following in the footsteps of blockbuster 80s action film sequels and summer hits is enough to be worthy of praise these days. Season 1 showed a good love for 80s drama and horror while also breaking a lot of tropes. Seasons 2 and 3 instead backpedal on everything that made season 1 feel fresh in order to deliver this "80s summer movie hit" premise which is perfectly enjoyable but it's banal, vacuous, and it retroactively lessens the impact the first season had. It should be noted I'm an avid hater of sequels. I think Aliens ruined Alien. I'm a bit picky with how sequels should work, or if they should exist at all. Stranger Things never needed new seasons and it shows. They don't know where to take the story so now its just more of the cliche'd "lets make things bigger and badder" approach: more danger, more jokes, more over-characterisation It's a tropey mess I've always hated and this is no different
PunchforPunch 07.06.19	Season 2 was good except for that shitty big city excursion. Also its a TV show Gallantin, not a big screen movie. By your standard, most shows should've ended at pilot episode. Sorry man but... that's kinda dumb.
Gallantin 07.06.19	What
Josh D. 07.06.19	I watched like the first 3 episodes of this show and was so bored I never watched it again. Thank's.
Deathconscious 07.06.19	"Indiana Jones also sucks" That cements it, shit user.
dimsim3478 07.06.19	"I don't think just following in the footsteps of blockbuster 80s action film sequels and summer hits is enough to be worthy of praise" to clarify, i wasnt saying that this season is good because it's a pastiche of other 80s summer blockbusters, because that would be stupid. i was saying that it's good because it succeeds in the same ways that made those classic 80s blockbusters classics in their own right, and hence also makes season 3 great in its own right: they (and season 3) are fun as hell. "Stranger Things never needed new seasons and it shows. They don't know where to take the story" it's obvious that there isnt really an overarching plot that warrants continuation for the sake of completing some big story. but at this point i'm not watching Stranger Things for that; i like spending time with these characters while they fight monsters and do their thing in this world that the creators have made for them. it's the same thing that keeps me reading long-running comic books or watching sitcoms; as long as the next story is a good one, i'm down for it. e.g. Back to the Future 2 wasnt "necessary" in the sense that there were some unfinished threads at the end of the first movie that needed resolving (other than the tacked-on sequel setup), but it was super enjoyable so i ultimately wouldnt deem it "unnecessary". the danger with this type of storytelling of course is that the next story (season) is total shit which renders the act of continuing the story unnecessary indeed and sullies the legacy of the previous installments that were actually good. but whether or not this is the case, it's not a matter of the "necessity of continuing the story" or whatever, it's pretty much just about whether the continuation was inherently good in its own right. i thought season 3 was good--good acting, some funny stuff, exciting action--and you didnt. and that would be fine with me if you didnt also just say that Indiana Jones sucks because that means that you have no soul (and also no valid opinions whatsoever). :P
Deathconscious 07.06.19	Btw, is gallantin snox? He seems like a snox. It would explain a lot.
Gallantin 07.06.19	I tend to view stories with a bit more reverence than that. I like things to end neatly. Sequels like this are fun and all that, but distinctly take away from what drew me into something to begin with. They spread the butter too thin and in the end it's just not the same. So even while I do find myself entertained by this, my problems with it still eat away at that. In general I like new IPs over endless sequels. A sequel should only exist when the story is designed for it. And Stranger Things wasn't really designed for it I'm just not a Spielberg or a Lucas fan in general tho, sorry not sorry
PunchforPunch 07.06.19	Yea I think SW is a shit franchise but cmon man, Raiders of the Lost Ark is a great film.
Gallantin 07.06.19	Actually I take that Spielberg comment back. I thought about it and I am fond of quite a few of his films, he's like half and half for me.
Gallantin 07.06.19	If there's any Indiana Jones movie I'd defend, it's Temple of Doom, mainly bc I watched it a tonne as a kid. I don't vibe with the films anymore tho.
dimsim3478 07.06.19	even Raiders? watched em all again a few years back and Doom was worse than i remembered while Raiders was still perffffff. might be worth a revisit G i only really back the "sequels are unnecessary" thing where the original story feels perfectly complete, or i really really really revere the original story and know that the sequel wont top it even if there is a bit of wiggle room for a sequel plot-wise (e.g. the anime series FLCL). didnt really feel that way about season 1 of Stranger Things. something like Watchmen (the comic) is a prime example of that perfect completeness quality, though i'm somehow still psyched for the new HBO series.
Rowan5215 07.06.19	agreed hard with dim like who was ever watching this show for the plot lol. 6 episodes of s1 were spent on getting one actual glimpse of the Demogorgon
PunchforPunch 07.06.19	that's true, I don't really follow the plot of the show lmao. its just fun to watch.
Gallantin 07.06.19	I liked 1 for its plot :)
dimsim3478 07.06.19	on another note the never ending story bit in the final episode was so unnecessarily long imo and almost totally derailed the momentum just for pandering. the new coke bit was hilarious tho (i wasnt alive for new coke but lucas' delivery was $$)
Rowan5215 07.06.19	New Coke bit was pure Wayne's World and I fucking loved it. last thing I ever expected these showrunners to reference. only thing that totally missed this season imo was the Terminator shit. even then we got more Murray and a cool hall of mirrors fight out of it
PunchforPunch 07.06.19	bro that ruskie is arnold. Pretty sure that counted as terminator reference.
TheSpirit 07.06.19	RIP ALEXEI
Gyromania 07.06.19	"who was ever watching this show for the plot" gotta agree hard with this. loved the show for the atmosphere and scares, and of course all the sweet nostalgia + a great soundtrack. not everything has to have the writing and acting chops of breaking bad to be a fun time.
PunchforPunch 07.06.19	man alexei shouldn't have died like that. I was hoping he's gonna get his green card at the season finale.
DinosaurJones 07.06.19	I was more bummed for Alexei than 1 of the other character deaths... (no spoilers)
InFlamesWeThrash666 07.09.19	saw the first 4 episodes and meeeeh
PunchforPunch 07.09.19	Just 4 more episodes, dude. You can do it!
ultradevilgod 07.09.19	All I can say is that it is much better than Season 2. It has more balanced drama, humor, and horror. And oh...I forgot, nostalgic music.
combustion07 07.09.19	On the last episode and I'm loving it. Tbh I hope they just keep the whole series about the upsidedown. You could do a lot of cool things with the idea
MarsKid 07.09.19	Aight, watched the first four episodes. Liking it, but I've got some issues. Been mostly avoiding this thread b/c spoilers so I dunno if these have already been mentioned or not. 1. Did they forget how to write for Hopper or what? Guy got turned into an unhinged alcoholic for some reason--I guess because he can't be with Joyce? Really? He has that little monologue in Ep. 3 about how he still keeps an eye on the situation with the lab to make sure it is truly finished, but from all the season has shown thus far, he has been content just lazying about in his chair all day, so him being actively involved in protection seems unlikely. 2. Steve was never the smartest guy, but he has now been rendered a near-complete moron and just an all-around dick. It's as if his previous development has been forgotten because... reasons? 3. The lack of mystery. This is a less serious complaint in the grand scheme of things, but this season lacked the intrigue the prior two entries had. It's mostly due to the series' own fault of limiting itself strictly to the Upside-Down and the Mindflayer--we already know about it and its capabilities, so it's hard to be surprised anymore. 4. Why does Max suddenly show sympathy towards Billy? Didn't she quite nearly or totally despise him last season? Once again more of a minor comment, but it was jarring when she seemed so worried about him/up to defending him.
Pikazilla 07.09.19	Marskid totally nailed it here. Especially 1 and 3.
BallsToTheWall 07.09.19	Rip to my Homie Billy.
PunchforPunch 07.09.19	RIP the pool guy. Never had the chance to bang that blonde cougar.
Slex 07.09.19	The writing for Hopper was absolute nonsense in the first half of the season. There was also just barely any narrative momentum for most of the season because everyone and everything was so scattered and disjointed and presented in isolated little chunks. Max got annoying as hell and Erica SUCKED until near the end. Robin was great and I LOVE Murray, Alexei was cool too. Last 2 episodes were easily the best but I motherfucking hated that epilogue with a passion, it was so so so unnecessary and clashed so awfully with the tone of the ending of the finale. Honestly this was my least favorite season overall.
Slex 07.09.19	Also yeah Billy easily had the best arc of the season, actor was incredible and really surprised me
pjquinones747 07.09.19	theres absolutely no way the mentality behind their writing has remained the same over three seasons unless that mentality is "lets string together a tantalizing plot with some really interesting character dynamics in the first season and then slowly erase all of the initial expectations by turning the show into modern family with monsters over the next two" incredibly disappointing third season. ive given up on ST.
CygnusX1 07.09.19	S3 was miles better than S2. Loved the themes and the sets were fantastic. Agree that the writing for Hop seemed off, he's either rage screaming at someone or in a drunken stupor. Still love the character - I hope he's in the upside-down at the end tho. Also disappointed in El's psychic abilities this season. After the "getting stronger" filler episode in S2 I was expecting her to go full on Carrie, but she looses them somehow? All she really did was open a few doors and spy on the boys/billy a few times. Joyce with the magnets storyline felt forced. Still good season. But rat-corpse-exploding-necromorph-mindflayer-the Thing-monster was great, really happy they showed that a bunch
Slex 07.09.19	Yeah all the monster stuff and body horror stuff this season was really good
Gyromania 07.09.19	On ep 7 atm. Hoping these last 2 eps are nuts. Also the humour is so cringe this season
Rowan5215 07.09.19	" 2. Scott was never the smartest guy, but he has now been rendered a near-complete moron and just an all-around dick. It's as if his previous development has been forgotten because... reasons?" who the hell is Scott? are you talking about the science teacher? because I don't think you are lol
Deathconscious 07.09.19	On episode 3, jesus christ does hopper suck this season.
Deathconscious 07.10.19	Will having a meltdown over his friends having girlfriends and not being totally invested in their D&D campaign is so overly dramatic, ugh.
MarsKid 07.10.19	Oh fuck lol I mean Steve. Edited. And it was definitely ham fisted but I kinda related to it so I was more forgiving to it. As I saw it it was less about them being in relationships and more about them completely ignoring Will and getting utterly consumed by their love interests.
Slex 07.10.19	Weird I personally didn’t have a problem w Steve this season
PunchforPunch 07.10.19	Ehh I love Steve in this season. Wonder what they'll do next season though since the cast got bigger. I wanna see Jim breaking out of russian prison too, Prison Break style.
MarsKid 07.10.19	He comes across as an exaggerated douche to me, which seems to contradict his character from the previous season.
Divaman 07.10.19	Didn't know until today that the actress who plays Robin is the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke.
Morningrise767 07.10.19	^ I literally just found that out like 15 minutes ago haha "No, not the American"
Rowan5215 07.10.19	they've made Steve more sympathetic than ever tho. did you actually see the scene where a friend comes out as gay to him in the mid-80s and reacts as positively as he possibly could?
conesmoke 07.10.19	The neverending story sing along was awful
MrHarrison 07.10.19	Stranger Things is the TV equivalent of Greta Van Fleet
PunchforPunch 07.10.19	Dusty bun~
Morningrise767 07.10.19	Suzie Poo~
dimsim3478 07.10.19	"The neverending story sing along was awful" agreed shoulda just been like 10 or 20 seconds but it went on forever
Hawks 07.10.19	Just binged the first 2 seasons with my gf over the past 2 days. 3 episodes in to the 3rd season now. Such an awesome show. m/
Morningrise767 07.10.19	Yep, definitely a cool show.
Deez 07.10.19	Nearly binned it after 3 episodes with the 13 year love stories but glad i didnt. Enjoyed it. Much better than season 2
Gyromania 07.10.19	the humour was SOOOOO fucking bad this season. cringed several times. kind of wish the mind flayer had more agency. still confused about what its true form is. is it that shadow thing from the upside down? or is its true form the thing we saw in season 3? either way, bit of a letdown. hopper prob isn't dead because this show is bad at killing off main characters, which means lowers the suspense drastically. el's powers were super disappointing this season as well. was hoping for some cool showdown but meh. the fireworks were cool, at least the visuals, and the billy sacrifice was also enjoyable. overall the show has gotten pretty god damn silly and i don't care about it nearly as much as i did the first season which took itself far more seriously and had better horror and atmosphere. the character development is pretty much nonexistent and at this point i'm not holding out for better writing.
Deez 07.10.19	Yeah hes clearly 'The american' on the post credits which is LAME. I kinda just put Stranger things on. Im not super invested in it so I dont look to deep into the holes and the writing etc I just watch it for loose enjoyment.
pjquinones747 07.10.19	Gyro you mirrored my thoughts pretty exactly.
dimsim3478 07.11.19	"still confused about what its true form is. is it that shadow thing from the upside down?" yes. the thing we saw in season 3 was just its best effort to manifest thru whatever little piece of it was left behind in season 2. "Yeah hes clearly 'The american' on the post credits which is LAME." only other character i could think of that fits the bill would be Brenner but that would make for a pretty lame misdirect
kevbogz 07.11.19	the retro nostalgia wore off midway through the 1st episode. season was ass til the last two episodes.
Gallantin 07.11.19	Wait so people here are finally agreeing with me about how garbage the writing is? Thank fuck
Gallantin 07.11.19	Also they need to learn to just kill their characters. They can't let us go fucking ten minutes thinking Hopper's actually dead before baiting us like "oh wait guys...he's ALIVE HAHA TRICKED YE"
kevbogz 07.11.19	just fucking kill a couple kids, what's the big deal?? glad we agree
PunchforPunch 07.11.19	You guys haven't watch indonesian tv shows if you think season 3 is bad
Deez 07.11.19	,just fucking kill a couple kids'is my motto for life tbh
Rowan5215 07.11.19	y'all really thought Hopper was actually dead for more than a second? did you guys actually start watching this pop culture thing yesterday?
dimsim3478 07.11.19	tbh i didnt even register that Hopper was dead for a while cuz he kicked the Terminator's ass and it was like "okay, good guys won". but then he died cuz...the diameter of the spinny thing was too wide for him to get past? what im sayin is there wasnt any build-up or even rlly narrative logic to his death; just came outta nowhere so kinda felt like he died for no reason other than to make the finale that much more resonant. with Alexei it was so obvious he was gonna die and still made me sad cuz he liked Bugs Bunny and rigged carnival games
Gallantin 07.11.19	That's what's so dumb about it They kill Hopper to make it cheaply emotional but even then they can't even commit to the death, it's bad writing which is made worse with an even worse plot reversal ITS MIND BOGGLINGLY BAD "y'all really thought Hopper was actually dead for more than a second? did you guys actually start watching this pop culture thing yesterday?" I guess some people actually want the writing to be good and expected even a little commitment to narrative developments but I guess seeing as they backpedal on literally everything in this show it WAS dumb of me to expect them not to backpedal once more. Here in the land of no narrative consequence we can't allow the story to be even remotely worth caring about. It's no longer an homage to the 80s that subverts a lot of tropes, for the last two seasons it's just decided it wants to embody the worst tropes of serialised television it possibly can
kevbogz 07.12.19	gf wat
Rowan5215 07.12.19	my eyes glazed over a few lines into snox's comment can someone sum it up for me
Rowan5215 07.12.19	"tbh i didnt even register that Hopper was dead for a while cuz he kicked the Terminator's ass and it was like "okay, good guys won". but then he died cuz...the diameter of the spinny thing was too wide for him to get past?" well that was pretty clearly a "fuck yes they won... wait no this is bad" kind of dynamic, as established by like 1000 famous movies and such (especially superhero movies love to do that kind of shit). also it was noted a couple times that the blue light spilling out of thing turned you to dust on contact so that's why he couldn't get past
PunchforPunch 07.12.19	Reach the stars fly a fantasy~
dimsim3478 07.12.19	"well that was pretty clearly a "fuck yes they won... wait no this is bad" kind of dynamic" in retrospect its not too bad but like the "fuck yes they won... wait no this is bad" tonal shift traditionally turns on something less contrived than hopper just happening to affect this machine in such a way that it conveniently turns into a spinning laser that blocks his path. like it coulda blown up or kept on spinning or any number of other things when he threw the terminator into it, but instead it just happened to--against all odds and logic--create this very precise and ridiculously unlikely mechanical effect of a giant laser spinning right in his way, as well as a very particular circumstance wherein joyce is forced to look at his smiling face as she abandons him and also allows for an ambiguous lack of a corpse? just struck me as so random and heavy-handed, which broke my attention in addition to cheapening hopper's death imo. the thought that hopper coulda killed the terminator some other way and totally avoided death immediately popped into my head as well. the tonal shift itself is not invalid, nor is killing off hopper; just wish they went about it differently. envision this for example: hopper is wrestling with the terminator and he's pinned or something, and joyce realises shes outta time as the russian soldiers are breaking down the door behind her and the monster's about to kill one of the kids, so hopper gives her a solemn nod and she reluctantly pulls the switches. same outcome, but with some actual logic to it.
Rowan5215 07.12.19	I mean, I see what you're saying, but he didn't create a laser specifically blocking his path, he just damaged the machine in such a way that it started leaking dust-making blue light everywhere. they blocked it in a silly overdramatic way (cos again: Stranger Things) but once he damaged the machine in any way he essentially forfeit his life because no matter where it's emanating that light was deadly. I say this in again the knowledge that they certainly did not kill this incredibly popular character but instead just milked as much drama possible out of a temporary death because this show is silly and dumb and we all knew that going in
PunchforPunch 07.12.19	Yeah I bet Jim jumped below the platform (joyce checked after the army swept in and its a pretty big place) then the ruskies got to him after the explosion. Anyway I can't stop watching the neverending story scene, its too infectious!
dimsim3478 07.12.19	i dont necessarily buy that hopper is "the american" in that prison. not because its implausible, but more because that would be obvious to the point of stupidity. plus, revealing he's still alive within minutes of his death and its dramatic aftermath totally undercuts both; as snox said, why even kill a character if you're gonna bring em back within literal minutes? it's basically the same as that part where Goofy dies in Kingdom Hearts 2. im all for a lil mystery on whether or not a character is dead but thats exactly the problem - if thats rlly hopper in there, then the post credit scene killed any mystery cuz we all guessed the outcome with near certainty as soon as that dude said "the american". so on the assumption that they're not so stupid as to do that, im thinkin "the american" could be brenner or some new character. im sure i'll still enjoy season 4 even if it turns out that "the american" is hopper but that would render the post credit scene an easily avoidable misstep. a few of us have agreed that Stranger Things doesnt have to be some serious elaborate super smart show to be great, but the least creators can do with these "pure fun"-type works is maintain some fuckin logic.
PunchforPunch 07.12.19	There is no logic in the 80s, man. 'Nothing's gonna Stop Us Now' is one of the biggest singles of that decade and there is no logical reasoning why that song blew up!
Rowan5215 07.12.19	I agree with you in part dim - I'm thinking they'll build it up being Hopper as much as possible, hit us over the head with the point as much as possible, then bam - it's actually Brenner, who they pretty much said was still alive in S2, feeding the Russians intel and helping them make another gate for [various nefarious reasons]. big ol heartbreaking twist, we all accept it's not Hopper, then in the last few seconds of EP 1 Hop comes out of the shadows, all grizzled and traumatised and having been in the Upside Down since the end of S3. save this comment for future reference
osmark86 07.12.19	liking season 3 so far. more of the same which was never bad to begin with. it's like a chocolate cake, it's always just going to be chocolate cake but doesn't make it any less delicious.
PunchforPunch 07.15.19	hells yea osbro!
zakalwe 07.15.19	I knew nothing of this other than people were highly recommending it. I caved in and I’m on episode 4 of the first series and I’ll say this. I’ve surprised myself but I absolutely love it. Amazing nostalgia trip.
qiblas 07.15.19	Season 1 was fantastic. Season 2 was a huge disappointment. Season 3 won me over, highly recommend S3
foxblood 07.15.19	I've enjoyed the season but I would hesitate to call it 'good'. all the characters are 1-dimensional idiots that would have all their problems solved if they communicated with each other. not communicating doesn't add tension to the viewer, like mike not telling el why he had to lie. the relationship stuff is all very forced, unnecessary and cringey. the generic 'evil russian bad guys' are a chore. the only character I like anymore is Steve, even though they made him so stupid. the show feels like it's spinning in circles going nowhere and the lack of mystery just makes all the flaws more obvious. The mind flayer communicating so melodramatically through Billy is silly. the show also doesn't feel retro to me at all, it's sensibilities are far too modern and some retro-sounding synth pads sometimes doesn't change that. all the monster/gore stuff is great though
PunchforPunch 07.15.19	fuck yea zak. and fox i kinda agree with the 'run towards the light' thingy with billy but at least he had some character development unlike in season 2. My question is, what happened to Billy and Max's dad?
rabidfish 07.15.19	i was gonna say, this was all pretty shit except for the monsters and the violence, cuz god damn they hit that cronnenberg/the thing note just perfect.
Deathconscious 07.15.19	"My question is, what happened to Billy and Max's dad?" Shit writing happened.
foxblood 07.15.19	yeah the violence has definitely amped up and looks great, but I would say only the first season is great and really worth watching. there are lots of moments where I rolled my eyes this season.it is definitely an extremely overrated show with bright moments, but I certainly enjoy it a fair bit still so I don't really care
Gallantin 07.16.19	only the first season is great and really worth watching [2]
MarsKid 07.16.19	Finished this last night. The finale tried to carry the whole season on its back, but it couldn't erase or redeem prior flaws. I'll entertain a fourth season since it's basically guaranteed--need to print that easy money--but I have basically zero positive notions going forward. This was a mighty disappointment.
PunchforPunch 07.16.19	Damn you guys are seriously dissecting this shit
Gallantin 07.16.19	Because some people don't just enjoy everything they're fed bc "its not meant to be serious guys haha xdee"
Gyromania 07.16.19	The more I think about the more it sinks in that this season kinda blew. I loved the sets and effects, but the characters are so poorly written, it seems like it's geared towards 10 year olds. The 'humour' is sooooo fucking awful, and the show relies too much on nostalgia
PunchforPunch 07.16.19	idk man, Joe Keery is awesome.
MarsKid 07.16.19	Oh God, if we're speaking of nostalgia... how about that incredibly out-of-place, absolutely ham-fisted conversation about New Coke? With the label prominently featured in the center of the screen? Was a goddamn commercial, not a television scene. The characters finally became themselves in the finale (too little too late), but you're right, most of them were off somehow or, in the case of Hopper especially, completely bulldozed.
Gyromania 07.16.19	Hopper was fucking terrible this season. Him and Joyce 's bickering was so cringey I actually facepalmed several times throughout the season . And yea I knew the New Coke product placement was coming but it was so awkwardly placed... Why not earlier in the season when they're all chilling? Instead of some awkward intermission in the middle of a crisis.
PunchforPunch 07.16.19	Wow true I hate the bickering tsundere stuff
Gyromania 07.16.19	I'm starting to think the mind flayer is totally incompetent too. Even without 11 there it can't seek out and kill children hiding in super obvious places. Also the scientists and soldiers in that underground base are fucking blind and have embarrassing security
Deathconscious 07.16.19	Ive finished episode 4. If things dont get better ill probably be done with this show after this season.
Gyromania 07.16.19	I personally thought things got worse
MarsKid 07.16.19	They don't get better until the very last episode, and even that doesn't offer complete redemption by any means. And yeah the Mind Flayer's a dumbass. Not sure how he didn't see ANY of them run for cover. And instead of using his full power, he would just send out little tentacles. I mean, shit dude, if you can make a massive flesh-monster basically designed as a weapon to surpass Metal Gear to defeat your one nemesis, wouldn't you go all out? Perhaps his sense for dramatic tension got the better of him. Gotta have those jumpscares!
PunchforPunch 07.16.19	You know what I think you guys are right. It would've been better if Will also knows how to uses ESP because he's been infected by the mind flayer's but the connection to the hive mind is severed so the piece that's in Will's body gave him powers like 11.
BigHans 07.16.19	Love this series. Season 3 was way better than 2. I was born in the 80s, so the nostalgia punch is extra strong for me.
PunchforPunch 07.16.19	Hans knows what's up
Gyromania 07.16.19	"Perhaps his sense for dramatic tension got the better of him" LOL. You know, the Mind Flayer reminds me a lot of The Thing. Both can shapeshift at will, both can send out smaller chunks from their bodies to attack people, both assimilate humans to do their bidding and blend in so as to infect more people. The one glaring difference is The Thing is a fraction of the size of the Mind Flayer and seemingly an infinitely better killing machine, because everyone in Stranger Things is wearing the strongest plot armour in television history
Gyromania 07.16.19	Double post
BigHans 07.16.19	As far as the New Coke bit, it had to be in there. New Coke dropped in the summer of 1985, and it was a cultural event, in terms of unbridled backlash and hatred for it. I was 5 years old and distinctly remember my Grandpa, Dad, and basically everyone I knew ferociously pissed about it. I actually liked it at first, because it was sweeter, and I was also a dumbass 5 year old.
GhandhiLion 07.16.19	Hey do you guys remember the 80s? : The Show
PunchforPunch 07.16.19	Man, being an american sounds awesome. Even Alexei wanted to be one.
Gyromania 07.16.19	I was complaining about its awkward forced placement, not at it being in the show
MarsKid 07.16.19	I wouldn't be against including it, but the way they did and where they placed it was terrible. Funny you mention the Thing given this season's predisposition towards more body-horror elements. Those practical effects from the 80's still win out against CGI. And it does indeed help that the Thing is such an effective monster despite not having the Mind Flayer's size and vague control over Eleven-esque powers.
BigHans 07.16.19	I was complaining about its awkward forced placement, not at it being in the show ^ Yeah it was in an odd spot.
foxblood 07.16.19	' I loved the sets and effects, but the characters are so poorly written, it seems like it's geared towards 10 year olds. '...'I'm starting to think the mind flayer is totally incompetent too.' agreed with all of this gyro. great sets and visuals, mall looked amazing. the writing was downright bad for every character, every character besides will is involved in forced poorly handled romance. Will is basically useless now, even though he was crucial to season 1. the comedy was unfunny, almost never made me laugh except when I was laughing at the show and not with it. the mind flayer couldn't catch up with a station wagon full of kids and couldn't sniff them out in the mall quad area where they were only 20 feet away from it for a long time yet it has the powers to find 11 from long distances. it's not a very intimidating threat and does more roaring than anything. with the lack of explanations for anything so far, it's only becoming more obvious that they actually just don't really know what they're doing or where they're going with the whole show. I liked Steve and Robin being drugged though that was actually funny the new coke part seemed like parody or almost 4th wall breaking with how oddly and suddenly it was done. @marskid yeah the effects in the thing may never be outdone, I've never seen anything better.
butt. 07.16.19	agreed that this was better than season 2
Gyromania 07.16.19	Agreements all around, fox. I mean it stands like 50 feet tall and it can't see kids hiding behind a car lolwut? I can't believe something that's so much like The Thing but is 50 times its mass could be so non threatening
Deathconscious 07.16.19	The guy who plays Jonathan proved himself to be a shitty actor if hes doing anything other than being the quiet awkward boy.
MarsKid 07.16.19	To be fair the guy wasn't given much material outside of yelling "NANCY!" and wildly running towards monsters. And similarly, Nancy halfway through the season went from investigator to designated zoom-in-on-dramatic-face person.
Deathconscious 07.16.19	Yeah but when he was given a chance to really act (the fight he had with Nancy in the car), it was really underwhelming.
MarsKid 07.16.19	But Adoooooooooolf They didn't understaaaaaaaaand each otheeeerrrr It's saaaaaaaaaaad
Deathconscious 07.16.19	You know, for a minute there i was like "ahh at least theyre doing one thing right. We dont need more dumb forced relationship drama in this season." I should have seen it coming.
MarsKid 07.16.19	I was forgiving of that to an extent. Seeing what 'normal' life was like for the kids was enjoyable and felt like a good contrast to whatever craziness would follow. The issue became that this drama extended far beyond its bounds and became obnoxious when brought to the fore-front, especially since it existed to arbitrarily divide the cast--something that didn't work out for the best last season and failed again here. It was kind of similar to Season 5 of Burn Notice where the first few episodes aren't as action-packed or full of high stakes, instead being more relaxed. The focus was on Weston trying to adapt to a fully civilian life and finding that he's not suited for it. It's a slow burn and it does drag a bit, but I thought the payoff was worth it.
Rowan5215 07.17.19	"The guy who plays Jonathan proved himself to be a shitty actor if hes doing anything other than being the quiet awkward boy." he was always the worst actor in a really good cast. I feel bad shitting on the dude cos his last scene with Nancy this season in his empty bedroom was really good from both actors, but he's been bad for pretty much most of the show up to that point. WE WERE INTERRRRRNS NANCY. INTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNS
PunchforPunch 07.17.19	its no bananas in pyjamas agreed
MarsKid 07.17.19	I like bananas
PunchforPunch 07.17.19	me 2 mars. I'm a top tho.
MarsKid 07.17.19	That's what you think for now ;)
Deathconscious 07.17.19	on episode 5 now. why is Hopper suddenly so unhinged this season? i know he always kind of had that streak, but he's so over the top here, and there doesnt seem to be any reason why. JOYCE WHAT ARE YOU DOING JOYCE DRIVE JOYCE WHAT ARE YOU DOING DRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII- he's such an unlikable cunt now.
MarsKid 07.17.19	Everyone is over the top. This season committed fully to making their cast caricatures.
foxblood 07.17.19	yeah hopper is especially oddly written this season, he got less cool and more cunty. true though mars, this is a problem with literally all the characters as well
MarsKid 07.17.19	Yeah if you think Hopper is bad Adolf, trust me, Joyce gets even more entertaining in that regard. I use 'entertaining' loosely.
Deathconscious 07.17.19	I think im done with this show after this season. What a fucking waste. Im not seeing the improvement from season 2, this is definitely worse.
MarsKid 07.18.19	Well let me know what you think when you're finished my man.
Deathconscious 07.18.19	oh i will, ill probably find plenty of reasons to complain as i go on.
PunchforPunch 07.18.19	do u like bananas adolf
zakalwe 07.18.19	Finished the first series. Absolutely loved it. Real heart has gone into it although Winona Ryder is a bit too much of a melt. Nerd with no teeth is me fave.
PunchforPunch 07.18.19	Right? it's her ridiculous facial expression I'm telling ya
MarsKid 07.19.19	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zp03MXF9Cw Thought this guy made a lot of points that I agree with regarding the show.
Deathconscious 07.19.19	"what if i was taking a massive shit?" "he says you remind him of a...fat Rambo." first two laughs of the season i think, so far.
FreakMachine 08.11.22	Greatest show ever made m/