Stranger Things (Netflix)

[javonstokess]

Steve turned into a straight bad @$$ this season. What the hell does Nancy see in Jonathon anyway?

 

[MadVillainy]

Steve turned into a straight bad @$$ this season. What the hell does Nancy see in Jonathon anyway?

[BLACKOUT]Shared trauma[/BLACKOUT]

But seriously Johnny is more her speed. She probably relates to Jonathan more

But Steve is the man. I think if the actor plays it right his turn this season could be big for him. He became the fan favorite so damn quick. He's likable, he's charismatic, he's handsome. Not saying he'll be the next The Rock, but he could get some big appearances out of it

 

[RockSP]

-Keep playing with character team ups. Dustin and Steve+El and Hopper worked out so well. I think not just sticking characters with the same people could help keep the show fresh. Jonathan and Mike, Nancy and Max...idk just something. I want to see new interactions.
-Leave the boy Will alone. No possesion, no kidnapping, let Will just be a kid this season. Or as much of a kid as you can be in Hawkins. I want him to be less of a victim I want some badass moments from him. Also maybe it'll give Joyce (Winona Ryder) a chance to chill out a bit
-No more love triangles. I think this show actually handled them well, but I'm good on seeing anymore
-Unless they are villains keep the new character to a minimum
-If their not gonna do a big timeskip, I would love to see the Party's first day of high school
-Something more for Lucas to do other than be a love interest
-Something more for Max to do other than be a love interest
-Give Billy something to do or give him nada.
-Pay off from "The Lost Sister" I assume that's already a give-in. Wouldn't mind an evil number who wants to open the Gate back up as revenge against humanity
-Steve still in Hawkins as a cop or training to be a cop. Hopper needs back up on the force so he doesn't do some of the dumb stuff he does in season 2

Agreed on the bold. I want Eleven and Will to intereact some, since they haven't really at all for 2 seasons.

I'm wondering if Lucas and Max will even still be an item by the time the show comes back. Junior High romances don't usually last all that long.

I have no issue with them dealing with the Wheelers. I'm assuming it will be a subplot, and not the main storyline.

 

[MadVillainy]

Agreed on the bold. I want Eleven and Will to intereact some, since they haven't really at all for 2 seasons.

I'm wondering if Lucas and Max will even still be an item by the time the show comes back. Junior High romances don't usually last all that long.

I have no issue with them dealing with the Wheelers. I'm assuming it will be a subplot, and not the main storyline.

Yeah El and Will would be cool. Especially if the fan favorite Joyce and Hopper (I don't care either way, although [BLACKOUT]Bob was perfect for her.[/BLACKOUT] romance happens they'll be like bro and sis

Lucas and Max could break up. I don't think their like Mike and El who by the end of the series, even if they break up, will probably get together. But I think Max and Lucas would just be funny together

Even as a subplot that just wastes time that could be better used.

Oh and I forgot to add. Give Jonathan something to do and no more psychic nose bleeds

 

[javonstokess]

Let's be honest here: Lucas is the real leader of the group. He's the only one that makes good decisions, uses common sense and stays grounded.

Mike's a petulant, prepubescent annoyance. Also super bossy.

 

[javonstokess]

Oh and I forgot to add. Give Jonathan something to do.

Is it me or is Jonathan pretty useless? I can't think of anything he's done that moved the plot.

 

[MadVillainy]

Let's be honest here: Lucas is the real leader of the group. He's the only one that makes good decisions, uses common sense and stays grounded.

Mike's a petulant, prepubescent annoyance. Also super bossy.

A lot of people didn't like Lucas in the first season, but he was the rational one. Mike is the leader but Lucas is the 2nd in command.

Using TV tropes terms. Mike is the Hero, Lucas is 2nd in command and foil to Mike (he's more hot blooded, less sensitive), Dustin is the smart guy, El is the big guy/muscle, and Will is the useless "chick." Then Max is the "sixth ranger

Is it me or is Jonathan pretty useless? I can't think of anything he's done that moved the plot.

He helped a decent amount season 1. Helped Nancy (I mean it was her idea but still), he burned the demagorgon, and it's not moving the plot forward but him dealing with his mom's, perceived, psychosis in season 1 was cool

But yeah season 2 he didn't do much and he does need something to move things forward. Other than being a love interest or tag along. [BLACKOUT]Even the love story was kinda weird because other than that one scene, if someone missed that i don't think him and Nancy even came off as a couple[/BLACKOUT]. He also needs to blended into the cast better. He really only interacted with Nancy and Will, then Steve+Joyce in season 1. That's why I want some more cast mixups. Pair him with idk anybody.

I'm not saying he needs a Steve esque bad ass upgrade but he needs something.

 

[KillerMcQueen]

I'd prefer they just write him out some way, he's about as interesting as drying paint and for me he's by far the weakest link of an otherwise rock solid main cast, and his role has been made redundant by Nancy, Steve, and Joyce, also his romance with Nancy came off as forced to me, there is no chemistry there, yet they went out of their way to literally say there was.

 

[MadVillainy]

I'd say they had chemistry in the first season. Or at least some little nice moments.

This season there who good moment was because the conspiracy theory guy

And even thinking about it Nancy didn't have a moment I really liked until the last ep

 

[Dyson]

So apparentnly they want to explor Mrs. Wheeler more and her unhappy marriage?
https://www.glamour.com/story/stranger-things-season-three-cara-buono-karen-wheeler

I really don't want this. I don't care about their maritial issues or her becoming an alcoholic or whatever. This isn't that kinda show. If you wanna show issues with the couples that are part of the "squad" than cool. But Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler? Pass

If true, I suspect that it's Cara Buono who is asking to make Karen Wheeler a bigger role. I'm with you though as I don't care for any bigger subplots with the character. It's not needed unless it ties into the lead characters and the main overall story.

 

[Legendver2]

If true, I suspect that it's Cara Buono who is asking to make Karen Wheeler a bigger role. I'm with you though as I don't care for any bigger subplots with the character. It's not needed unless it ties into the lead characters and the main overall story.

I mean it COULD get the parents involved with the upside down stuff. I mean I'm low-key curious to find out how Ted will react to all this over the top supernatural stuff.

 

[warhorse78]

I can see a scenario where Eleven could be the big bad. She seemed to be reaching a new level of power at the end.

If she is now officially adopted by Hopper, and he's going to do everything he can to make sure she lives a normal life, I'm curious to how she will fit in with the other kids. More than likely, there will be some female bullies that will try and push her buttons, so will she snap and hurt a kid? Is this where Max might come in handy, be there to back her up?

 

[warhorse78]

[BLACKOUT]Shared trauma[/BLACKOUT]

But seriously Johnny is more her speed. She probably relates to Jonathan more

But Steve is the man. I think if the actor plays it right his turn this season could be big for him. He became the fan favorite so damn quick. He's likable, he's charismatic, he's handsome. Not saying he'll be the next The Rock, but he could get some big appearances out of it

The Rock? Yeah, I see him going the same kind of path Zac Efron did.

 

[Kane52630]

But Steve is the man. I think if the actor plays it right his turn this season could be big for him. He became the fan favorite so damn quick. He's likable, he's charismatic, he's handsome. Not saying he'll be the next The Rock, but he could get some big appearances out of it

 

[MadVillainy]

Steve Gang all day

 

[CaptainWagner]

I really loved this season and yes, Steve is great and I definitely hope this translates to bigger roles for the actor in the future (But honestly, I want that for all the young talent on the series) I'm also down for exploring the Wheeler's marriage, as long as it fits naturally into the plot. It could add some interesting social commentary to the mix. Also, I desperately want to see Ted encounter the Upside Down craziness.

Spoiler

-But we have to talk about Bob. Poor, poor Bob Newby was just too good for this world. I loved reading how he was initially a throwaway character until Sean Astin made everyone love him. I knew he was going to die (Again, the world didn't deserve him) but the way they did it was SO STUPID! Imagine being the doctor, on the edge of your seat walking him step by step to safety only for him to STOP RUNNING LIKE A PUNK and get eaten. Seriously? And then, once again, his death is barely acknowledged. Are they just going to say that he died from the chemicals that killed Barb? You'd think after the backlash from her death last season, they'd have learned to resolve simple things like that.

-As for Episode 7, I didn't mind it. There really wasn't a better place to put it, unless they swapped it with Episode 8. But that still would have been a little jarring. I enjoyed it for what it was, and 008 was honestly a better take on Magneto than we've gotten from any X-Men movie.

 

[Arachnerd]

Finished watching it yesterday. Solid, solid continuation of the story. Not completely sure if it's better or inferior to the first season due to it being fresh on the mind. Still, here are some of my thoughts below:

Spoiler

- First of all, let's talk about Bob. Just... just Bob. When he popped up, I had the feeling that he was gonna turn out to be a spy for Hawkins' Lab or an a**hole all along, but... he was just a goofy, nice and sweet guy. Nothing more, and nothing less. And he was so. Damn. Likable. Heck, even if his advice to Will didn't turn out well in the end, at least his heart was in the right place. Good god it was hard to see him die. He was the 'Barb' of this season for me.

Also the fact that he was played by an ex-Goonie and the best Hobbit friend you could ask for certainly helped the character to stand out.

- Eleven and Hopper's relationship. I was hoping a sort of father-daughter relationship would start forming between them in the last few eps of season 1, so I am really glad they explored that here. I love the both of them together. Eleven gets a flawed yet much better parental figure in Hopper while her presence allows Hopper to cope better with the loss of his daughter, even if all doesn't go well at first. That scene in the car and her being adopted by him in the end gave me the feels. An enthusiastically feels-y thumbs up on this aspect, it did not disappoint me one bit.

- Dustin. Boi, you f***ed up royal. But at least you gave us some hilarious interactions with Steve. xD

Seeing him being rejected at the dance and crying made me feel for him. Hats on to Nancy for cheering him up. Her character's usually half-and-half with me, but that was a super nice thing to do. Props, girl.

- Apparently I've been hearing episode 7's being lambasted on the interwebs. And honestly? I don't get it. I could see some of the X-Men similarities and I don't think the misfits were made to be entirely likable, but it gave us progression from Eleven's character (not to mention exploring more of her backstory and of the super powered people before her) which led her to choose where her true home lies. Having it be fully Eleven-centric after that Aliens-esque cliffhanger was a risky move indeed, but to me, it paid off in the end. Her entire journey this season was interesting to see.

- I liked Max. She was a nice addition to the cast. Her 'romance' with Lucas was adorkable. I'm curious to see what her relationship with her brother (and to a lesser extent, her family) will go from here. Hoping her and Eleven eventually get along the next season.

- Now, unfortunately, one big problem I do have with this season is Mike. Well, more specifically with how he treated Max like absolute s*** (understandably why at first, but then it started to get really irritating). There was no closure to that either, and I seriously hope he gets called out on it in season 3. Seriously, he surpassed season 1 Lucas levels of grating when it came to interacting with Max.

- Paul Reiser's character, who, unlike his Aliens' character... is not a complete d-bag. In fact, I'd say he's a decent human being, if still somewhat shady. Certainly a lot better than Brenner. Loved how they reverted expectations with him and Bob's characters.

- The Shadow Monster/Mind Flayer. Jesus, do I love this thing, even if its design is simplistic. I love how it operates (I was expecting it to be a creature who simply wanted to destroy everything, but its plan was definitely a lot more refreshing and interesting) and how it's actually still alive at the end. Gave me The Mist/Lovecraftian vibes. That last shot was great, and it better be indicative of that thing eventually managing to cross over dimensions and wrecking havoc on the entire population of Hawkins in future seasons Godzilla style.

- The Demagorgon returns (sorta), Aliens style. The Duffer brothers have a lot to owe to James Cameron for a lot of these scenes.

- Will. Boy... Noah Schnapp killed it, what a terrific performance. We didn't see a lot of him in season 1, but boy is he featured heavily here. The consequences of his stay in the Upside Down being explored and eventually leading to the Mind Flayer possessing him and using him as a vessel was all great stuff. After everything he's gone through, he really needs a break.

- Season two was definitely more of a slow-burner, but when s*** gets real, it gets real. This was a lot more intense in comparison to the first one, and I'd even argue a lot darker.

- Steve's still as charming and likable as he was the first season. 'Nuff said.

- While continuing to play a bit on the nostalgia factor, I still liked seeing all the references to 80's stuff.

 

[RockSP]

I really loved this season and yes, Steve is great and I definitely hope this translates to bigger roles for the actor in the future (But honestly, I want that for all the young talent on the series) I'm also down for exploring the Wheeler's marriage, as long as it fits naturally into the plot. It could add some interesting social commentary to the mix. Also, I desperately want to see Ted encounter the Upside Down craziness.

Yep. To me being opposed to the idea is like someone opposing that the first season showed The Byers' dysfunctional family dynamic with the deadbeat dad.

 

[Legendver2]

Credit reddit

Spoiler

Proceed with cutting onions

 

[MadVillainy]

Yep. To me being opposed to the idea is like someone opposing that the first season showed The Byers' dysfunctional family dynamic with the deadbeat dad.

No not at all. Exploring the deadbeat dad showed why Joyce, Will, and Jonathan are the way they are.
The first season showed (and told from Nancy's speech at the gunrange) about what her parent's relationship has done to her. So why does that need to be shown more? We got what we need.

Exploring the Wheeler's marriage any deeper than what has been shown isn't necessary. There is so much better stuff to explore. Mrs. Wheeler isn't sexually fulfilled? Yeah let's take time off of the actual plot to explore that.

There's enough that needs to covered. It's like when Breaking Bad had all those weird subplots like Marie's shoplifting. It's unnecessary and the time is better used.

If they want to get Mrs. Wheeler more into the plot I'm all down for that. I liked Cara Buono in Mad Men. But there are better ways to do it.

 

[RockSP]

Exploring the Wheeler's marriage any deeper than what has been shown isn't necessary.

Indeed. The show itself isn't necessary.

 

[MadVillainy]

No it's not "necessary" but that's just a weird point to make

 

[RockSP]

Eh, weird is in the eye of the beholder. I find your stance on the Wheeler's weird.

 

[MadVillainy]

It's not weird that you think what you think about the Wheeler's it's weird to say "The show is unneccessary" I mean...why say that? It doesn't move anything forward. If you want to dead the convo...cool. But when you're having a discussion you need to learn to move it forward or just opt out.

Anyway

Finished watching it yesterday. Solid, solid continuation of the story. Not completely sure if it's better or inferior to the first season due to it being fresh on the mind. Still, here are some of my thoughts below:


- Now, unfortunately, one big problem I do have with this season is Mike. Well, more specifically with how he treated Max like absolute s*** (understandably why at first, but then it started to get really irritating). There was no closure to that either, and I seriously hope he gets called out on it in season 3. Seriously, he surpassed season 1 Lucas levels of grating when it came to interacting with Max.

Yeah it was really weird about him this season. The cast even called him "Emo Mike" which I understand why. He misses El, but Idk I just feel they didn't do much with him this season after him arguably being the lead character. But it did give a chance for the other kids to shine

 

[RockSP]

It's not weird that you think what you think about the Wheeler's it's weird to say "The show is unneccessary" I mean...why say that? It doesn't move anything forward. If you want to dead the convo...cool. But when you're having a discussion you need to learn to move it forward or just opt out.

Anyway

Lol...it's not that deep. You brought up what is and isn't "necessary". I agreed that the Wheeler plot point isn't necessary, but the fact is it seems to be something they are interested in doing. Further, what is "necessary" in this (or any) work of fiction? Was it necessary for Dustin to be the one with the pet demidog? It could've been Lucas instead. Or Max. Was it necessary for Lucas and Max to hook up? Was it necessary for John and Nancy to bone in the investigator dude's house (speaking of weird, lol)?

The writers write what they write, and explore the characters the way they choose to. Obviously you're against the Wheeler thing for the upcoming season. I doesn't matter to me one way or the other if they explore that idea or not, as long as they make it entertaining if they choose to go that route. But I'm not against the idea itself.

And with that...I opt out.