STRANGER THINGS

[Jay 37,323]

Any show Netflix makes themselves, the entire season goes live at once.

 

For shows that are airing on a cable or network channel in their home country but Netflix picked up the international rights, they might get a "netflix original" logo at the beginning, but its a bit of a falsehood; They simply use the same logo for shows they create as well as shows they get to exclusively air in a country that actually come from another country.

For example Star Trek Discovery is a USA tv show airing once a week on CBS's online app, but in every other country its a "netflix exclusive", even though Netflix has absolutely zero to do with the creation of the show in any way shape or form, they simply paid CBS the most money to air it in your country.  So they slap their logo at the beginning.

[Quintus 5,399]

Right I see. 

 

I believe making all episodes available at once isn't the way to go about it, but what do I know. 

[Simon McBride 113]

I watched episodes 4 and 5 last night. Pacing is pretty good. I am a little mad that they added a romance plot between nancy and jonathan though. Hopefully it doesn't go anywhere 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I still can't get into this show. What is it that people see in it?

Even Winona. It's not that I don't find her completely believable, but I'm a bit embarrassed for her because all she does it yell and cry and she's just not very good at either one of those things. Poor Winona.

[Quintus 5,399]

Like Super 8 before it, Stranger Things was billed as a Spielbergian style love letter to early eighties fantasy sci-fi, but it only arbitrarily succeeds, like Super 8 did. It's not really a good copy of E.T. et al at all, and yet I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with it or its intentions, like Super 8. It's a good enough little adventure with some modicum of heart, and that's reason enough for it to exist. I quite enjoyed it, for all its flaws. But for some strange reason, others seem to regard it as the glorious nostalgic pathway to their lost youth. I think they're getting carried away.

[Marian Schedenig 8,179]

I watched all of it over the weekend, and I liked it. A lot, actually. After S1, I was partly hoping for a good continuation, but mostly worried that the story might be too closed/finished to carry one without being horribly contrived. Luckily, that wasn't an issue for me at all, even less so than with shows that were planned as multi season series from the beginning. My main problem was that I barely remembered how S1 ended - I still knew all the characters, but I often couldn't remember where they ended up, which didn't make the flashbacks in El's story any easier to follow.

 

In the end, I might have enjoyed this more than S1. I found it fully satisfactory in any case, there's nothing I'd complain about. Except perhaps that the score couldn't fully live up to the epic finale, but that's my only beef with the music this time around. The kids cast and character dynamics are still the driving force behind it all.

 

Also, some strong CE3K imagery in a couple of scenes.

 

Bring on S3.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I may have come off a bit harsh. It's not that I dislike it, but I don't understand the obsession. Everyone everywhere is just going on about this show like it's the game from Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's alright. I think the performances are good, I like the sheriff character, the cutesy kiddie romances and Winona's leather jacket. It's like a more feminine version of a jacket worn by a character on another beloved far superior science fiction show.

 

 

Fantastic!

 

But storywise, the season builds up for 7 episodes and then it becomes a dumb shoot-em-up with crappy CGI aliens. That's the biggest problem. The characters are solid, but they're just placed in scenarios and settings ripped off from 80s pop culture with a piss poor story.

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

Winona is a babe.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I'm more attracted to Nancy's mom. I'd like to stick my face right up in between her legs...while wearing Winona's jacket.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

O... kay. 

[Quintus 5,399]

I don't think I noticed Ryder's jacket once. Whenever I see her in anything I'm generally just trying to catch a glimpse of her mysterious epic boobs.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Yeah I wonder what she looks like naked. She seems to be thin, but then you catch her from a certain angle and she has fantastic legs and boobs.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

She's pretty.

[Quintus 5,399]

Oh, in her day Ryder was a very beautiful girl. And with a perfect bod on her.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I didn't like that dorky androgynous hairdo in Alien Resurgence.

[Quintus 5,399]

Not the same style as that, but she did have very short hair for years. That's what made me realise and appreciate her beautiful face. Short hair, which I'm not a fan of, can have that effect.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

She looked fantastic with short hair. Really suited her. I was also turned on by her shoplifting for some reason. Makes her seem more real that she's kind of crazy like that.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I don't know. It seems when sexy women are entering a certain stage of hothood, they decide to lop their locks off, perhaps in some weird attempt to offset their hotness and reduce their fap factor.

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

1 hour ago, The Doctor said:

Yeah I wonder what she looks like naked. She seems to be thin, but then you catch her from a certain angle and she has fantastic legs and boobs.

 

She has great legs for jeans. 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

She's the original prototype for Natalie Portman/Kira Nightly/Rose Byrne/Ray etc. and ultimately the best. You don't need any of the other versions.

[crocodile 7,990]

Finished it. It was enjoyable but not necessarily because of the story or anything like that. The show works because of the characters and that is what I've been watching.

 

I'm also glad they decided to tone down the neurotic Winona Ryder.

 

Also David Harbour will make a good Hellboy.

 

Karol

[Marian Schedenig 8,179]

37 minutes ago, crocodile said:

I'm also glad they decided to tone down the neurotic Winona Ryder.

 

 

Well, her child wasn't missing without a trace this time. As I said before, I thought she was fine in S1. And I really liked here in S2. Sure, she's hyper emoting, but I don't have a problem with that for her character.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I agree abut Winona, but let's just leave her alone.

 

Rudy turned into a big fat fattie.

[Thor 7,478]

I haven't read any of the 422(!) previous replies in this thread, but I binged the entire season on Sunday. While not as good as the first season (particularly the monster was less scary this time around), it's still very good. The score seemed a tad more interesting this time -- less of the zithering synth dissonance, and more hints of melodies and beats. Although -- once again -- it holds up better in the series than on album.

[Fancyarcher 350]

Watched season 2. Overall it was good, maybe not as good as the first season, but I did find the story overall more engaging. Episode 7 really came out of the blue though, I wasn't expecting it to suddenly get all "magical". Sure it was different, but like really? It was an unnecessary one-off. Very good stuff overall though.

[Quintus 5,399]

2 hours ago, Thor said:

I haven't read any of the 422(!) previous replies in this thread, but I binged the entire season on Sunday. While not as good as the first season (particularly the monster was less scary this time around), it's still very good. 

 

The monster was sadly never very scary.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

It's gotten more boring. I'm not sure why these episodes run for nearly an hour, but the content doesn't justify it. There are so many pointless scenes of nothing happening and it makes the series feel more pretentious. Each episode should run a maximum of 42 minutes, like the ROTJ OST. Trim out the fat. That goes for Sean Fat Asstin as well.

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

It's too bad, because the giant smoke monster spider was visually and conceptually pretty terrifying, more than the original creature.  And it was great in the first few visions, but quickly lost its mystique.  By the final "confrontation" I had more or less lost interest. 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

The alien scenes look like Slither to me.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

2 hours ago, TheGreyPilgrim said:

It's too bad, because the giant smoke monster spider was visually and conceptually pretty terrifying, more than the original creature.  And it was great in the first few visions, but quickly lost its mystique.  By the final "confrontation" I had more or less lost interest. 

I honestly completely forgot it actually existed until its shadow on the other side of the gate. The whole time I had thought it was a premonition of something that hadn’t manifested yet. 

 

Either way, I thought it was a really strong season and enjoyed the last few episodes a lot. Had some genuine laughs and great character moments. 

[Simon McBride 113]

Just finished the season. It was alright. Season one was better because they had a clear and set goal from the beginning of the season (to find will). This season just sort of meandered around until it was done. I'll probably stick through season three.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

That goal isn’t any different. It’s actually kinda funny how fucked this kid is in every episode. Dude can’t catch a break. 

[Thor 7,478]

10 hours ago, Fancyarcher said:

Watched season 2. Overall it was good, maybe not as good as the first season, but I did find the story overall more engaging. Episode 7 really came out of the blue though, I wasn't expecting it to suddenly get all "magical". Sure it was different, but like really? It was an unnecessary one-off. Very good stuff overall though.

 

I think that was a reference to stuff like THE LOST BOYS or NEAR DARK -- a group of misfits with (or without) magical powers. Something to cross off the reference box. Not sure it was necessary for this particular story, but I like the fact that it expanded the fictional universe somewhat. Eleven is not unique, and it was part of her journey to self-discovery and belonging.

[Arpy 4,145]

I thought it (Episode 7) was a nice and necessary diversion; it gave Eleven more answers and perspective in realizing Hopper and her friends were her true family.

 

The only problem I had with that episode was that Eleven didn't tell anyone her mother had been made retarded by Brenner and the lab! I thought maybe she could've had a moment with her mother in which she wasn't mentally handicapped, a brief moment for her to see her daughter. They alluded to that but it was only a second.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Lost Sister is great character development for Jane, but that ragtag team was really awful. They looked like the Suicide Squad. Wearing masks was completely pointless because they all had these giant distinctive haircuts that are dead giveaways to who they are.

[Fancyarcher 350]

7 hours ago, Thor said:

 

I think that was a reference to stuff like THE LOST BOYS or NEAR DARK -- a group of misfits with (or without) magical powers. Something to cross off the reference box. Not sure it was necessary for this particular story, but I like the fact that it expanded the fictional universe somewhat. Eleven is not unique, and it was part of her journey to self-discovery and belonging.

 

That "team" just seemed too hilarious looking to be serious if you ask me. I did like Eleven's character development throughout that episode though, I'll gladly admit. I'm just not sure if the rest of it exactly worked for me though. 

[Thor 7,478]

1 hour ago, Fancyarcher said:

 

That "team" just seemed too hilarious looking to be serious if you ask me.

 

Clearly, you didn't grow up in the 80s. This type of group -- including the way they looked -- was a pretty recurrent staple in the films and tv shows of the time. I thought it was a loving reference.

[Fancyarcher 350]

Just now, Thor said:

 

Clearly, you didn't grow up in the 80s. This type of group -- including the way they looked -- was a pretty recurrent staple in the films and tv shows of the time. I thought it was a loving reference.

 

Oh I know. I watched plenty of 80's films in the 1990's. Those "punk gangs" looked silly then, they looked silly now. They have their own "weird charm" though, especially since there a product of a particular era. 

[Thor 7,478]

I kinda like them, however dated they may seem with contemporary eyes.

 

 

[KK 3,307]

Meh. Boring season. The cast is what largely makes it watchable.

 

The first season had boasted better set-pieces, greater momentum, more interesting visuals. This season just milks everything we've already seen, but with lesser results. Eggos are replaced with nougat, the Christmas lights with Will's sketches, Eleven with the new kid on the block...and none of them were as fun as the original. It was genuinely hard to stay interested after the halfway point, which to the first season's credit, was not a problem. 

 

3 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

The Lost Sister is great character development for Jane, but that ragtag team was really awful. They looked like the Suicide Squad. Wearing masks was completely pointless because they all had these giant distinctive haircuts that are dead giveaways to who they are.

 

Seemed pretty shoehorned to me. In fact, the whole Eleven/Jane arc was meandering at best. She worked best when playing her dynamic with the other kids.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Seems like a generous exaggeration. Yes the parallels are all there between seasons 1 and 2, but what’s the problem exactly? If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Quality entertainment, nothing more, and I never get the feeling that it’s trying to be. People (not you necessarily) keep talking about this show like it’s the second coming and I don’t get all the self hype and disappointment. 

[KK 3,307]

I was never a big fan to begin with, so that may have something to do with it. 

 

It's a decent sequel. As most of the 80s sequels were. But for a series that already heavily hinges on the familiar, watching an attempt at a more "large-scale" version of the first season was mostly uninteresting for me. I certainly don't see a sustainable 4+ season arc going well for it. It should have been an anthology series.

 

Hopefully The OA will fare better in its second venture!

[Thor 7,478]

I was immediately hooked on this show from the very first episode (maybe my age has something to do with it, being presumably a bit older than most of you guys), and I had no trouble whatsoever binging the entire second season in one day. That's always a quality sign to me; when I can't stop seeing "one more, just one more" and then end up watching the whole thing all at once. I still like the first season more, but I'm impressed by the level of quality they maintained in the second season.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

It's alright.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

3 hours ago, KK said:

I certainly don't see a sustainable 4+ season arc going well for it.

This I agree with. I felt that with this season they've said all they pretty much can or need to and should do a final season to wrap up whatever it is they seemingly already have planned. I would have been fine with this being the end of the show, sans the little stinger right at the end. 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

It just wasn't a good season. It was boring and pretentious as fuck.

[KK 3,307]

Pretentious is the last word I'd use to describe this show.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Indeed. As I keep saying, it knows exactly what it is and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. It’s the massive fan base that puts in on a pedestal. 

[Quintus 5,399]

14 hours ago, Thor said:

I kinda like them, however dated they may seem with contemporary eyes.

 

 

 

Both are cool, but the bottom one is legendary.

 

11 hours ago, Thor said:

I was immediately hooked on this show from the very first episode (maybe my age has something to do with it, being presumably a bit older than most of you guys), and I had no trouble whatsoever binging the entire second season in one day. That's always a quality sign to me; when I can't stop seeing "one more, just one more" and then end up watching the whole thing all at once. I still like the first season more, but I'm impressed by the level of quality they maintained in the second season.

 

I'm roughly of similar age I believe. I haven't watched the second season yet, but I thought the first was good not great. I enjoyed it, flawed and massively overreacted to that it is. The mixed response to the follow up suggests little has changed. Golden age for some, mid tier for me. As monsters and gang camaraderie goes, I've been enjoying The Strain a tad more.

[Thor 7,478]

Oh yeah, THE STRAIN is excellent, although it faltered a BIT in the last couple of seasons when the Del Toro influence was not as present anymore. But at least they got to finish it; that's a rare thing in the TV series world these days.