TV: Stranger Things

[Ello Sailor]

It was corny, but it was relevant to Will fighting Vecna without any "secrets"/weaknesses. They spent a bunch of time explaining this.

How can you guys complain about the writing when your media literacy is complete trash? Pfft.

[Ms Harmless]

woke!!!!

[Mecca]

Self-actualization = woke

[BurtReynolds]

Shitty writing stemming from an insatiable desire to preach The Sacred Ideology = woke

[Ms Harmless]

Self-actualization = woke

this

[VinylGuy]

Yeah, the scene made sense and it was something they have been hinting for a long time.

[Mecca]

yeah, it could come from any number of places, but it was clear the character was going through something while all his friends were starting to hang out with girls and he just wanted to play D&D. Could've been an arrested development from trauma, he just didn't hit puberty the way his friends had, or some other source, which ended up realizing he romanticized his love for his best friend. The actor's own story had a part in it, sure. The scene didn't exactly land, but I think that had more to do with the actor's chops than anything.

[lvc]

Actually I wasn’t making a commentary in woke or not. I was saying the scene was so mishandled that it undercuts any dramatic purpose for it to exist. Of all the times they ground the show to a halt to over-explain the obvious with ham-handed expository dialogue, they couldn’t fit in a 60-second scene in the finale where will enters the fray, vecna tries to psyche him out, wills all like no ackshually and vecnas all nooooooo, ow ow ow my arm.

But really they problem is they let will go full sorcerer and kill the demogorgons in the mid-season finale. They needed to show us vecna shaming will in that moment, have will falter and one of the party dies (for all their copping of Stephen King, they missed his most important writing advice: kill your darlings). Then there’s a ton of emotional weight to the coming out scene itself. And then you have will actually working in direct tandem with 11 in the final battle, not sitting on the ground with his mom. Vecna is on the ropes and tries to get back in wills head. Will, now wielding the power of acceptance, expels vecna. THEN the eyes go white and will actually breaks the mind-flayer and 11 impales vecna. There’s a damn final battle.

The duffers are either lazy, not that good at writing, or they had no real plan and just wanted unearned and barely paid off coming out scene for cheap emotion.

[Mecca]

I think most of that is in there if you went back and looked. Vecna basically told Will he’s weak, that’s why he chose him and his conduit and in the finale Will is basically “I’m not afraid anymore!” I don’t know if I’m ever revisiting the finale to verify, though.

[Ensign9]

The duffers are either lazy, not that good at writing, or they had no real plan and just wanted unearned and barely paid off coming out scene for cheap emotion.

Based on reactions I've read to the two-hour doc they just released, that does seem to be the case.

[Ms Harmless]

Will has literally always been gay

[VinylGuy]

yeah, they have been hinting about it since at least season 3 i think

[Mecca]

yeah, they have been hinting about it since at least season 3 i think

It’s there in season 2 if you really think about it.

[epilogue]

That was one of best finales I can remember. Just gutting and beautiful and emotional and cinematic. They tired up so many great themes and hot every emotional beat. I love it.

[VinylGuy]

Yeah i loved the finale too. Very well done.

Im currently watching S4 again with my girl and its very good. Im loving it ; very cinematic, very Nightmare On Elm Street.

[epilogue]

Yeah i loved the finale too. Very well done.

Im currently watching S4 again with my girl and its very good. Im loving it ; very cinematic, very Nightmare On Elm Street.

The visual references and hat-tips to other 80s IP is so well done in S4.

[Ello Sailor]

Actually I wasn’t making a commentary in woke or not. I was saying the scene was so mishandled that it undercuts any dramatic purpose for it to exist. Of all the times they ground the show to a halt to over-explain the obvious with ham-handed expository dialogue, they couldn’t fit in a 60-second scene in the finale where will enters the fray, vecna tries to psyche him out, wills all like no ackshually and vecnas all nooooooo, ow ow ow my arm.

But really they problem is they let will go full sorcerer and kill the demogorgons in the mid-season finale. They needed to show us vecna shaming will in that moment, have will falter and one of the party dies (for all their copping of Stephen King, they missed his most important writing advice: kill your darlings). Then there’s a ton of emotional weight to the coming out scene itself. And then you have will actually working in direct tandem with 11 in the final battle, not sitting on the ground with his mom. Vecna is on the ropes and tries to get back in wills head. Will, now wielding the power of acceptance, expels vecna. THEN the eyes go white and will actually breaks the mind-flayer and 11 impales vecna. There’s a damn final battle.

The duffers are either lazy, not that good at writing, or they had no real plan and just wanted unearned and barely paid off coming out scene for cheap emotion.

These are all valid points, especially "kill your darlings". The stakes felt kinda low when you realized they werent killing anyone!

Sorry I yelled.

[Bammer]

Just launched into watching this with the kids.

[Bammer]

I just finished the series with my kids last night, and will have to go through this thread and get caught up. Instant reactions:

- A lot of it doesn't make any sense, but whatever, it was a great show and we were thoroughly entertained. (I smell a prequel series coming soon)

- All the backlash over Will coming out as the "key" to defeating Vecna, and how it "ruined" the show for people, was totally overblown. Big deal, chill out.

- Bro, the main characters killed way more people (US military) than any monsters or Russians did. Left and right they're just popping US soldiers.

- What stands out to me the most is across the series, Mrs. Wheeler cycled through every possible hairstyle for women in the 1980's. LOL.

[Mecca]

And Mrs Wheeler also got hotter with age