Spoilers Stranger Things - Season 3

I'm three episodes in and I'm kind of thinking that too. Normally, this sort of stuff doesn't bother me too much but right now the treatment of Nancy in the newspaper office seems pretty damn strong.

No. It's max's mother and Billy's father, but it seems they're not around a whole lot.

The show's "80's Vibe" continues to really make me think and love-back to those days. The look of the stores in the mall is just something... Magical.

 

I agree seeing all the defunct mall stores is a big nostalgia trip. Waldenbooks, Sam Goody, Ground Round?

 

Yeah, and with all of the old-school neon and other styles of signage and just the general look and feel of that mall. I hope we get to see more of it, like the food court. Where's my 1 Potato 2?!

 

I really like this show. It's almost specifically designed for someone like me to like, being that it deliberately pays homage to what is essentially my youth. (I was 13 in '85). Basically, these kids are the same age as Henry Thomas (E.T.) or Sean Astin (The Goonies). It's ultimately a vehicle reflecting a specific sect of Generation X, & their period specific type of fantasy.

However, in this entire show, which also heavily features the parent generation of those kids, AKA Baby Boomers, portrayed by people my age, there is almost no one of that generation represented. I've seen maybe 3 or 4 people over the age of 60. Doesn't this town have any old people? Don't these kids have any grandparents?

I think Paul Reiser, & maybe Matthew Modine are the only names of note that could be attributed to that generation, & they're at the tail end of it, & conspicuously both play the suspicious or evil institutional shadow figure. Other than that, there was what, maybe one fertilizer eating old lady this season?

After 3 seasons, it doesn't seem coincidental anymore, like they're deliberately avoiding including the age group of people who Harbour & Ryder, et al, are portraying, who are a big source of the thing they're paying homage to.

I mean, in this season, Hopper get's called "Magnum" & literally drunkenly quotes Chief Brody's "Chief of Police" Jaws line. The whole show is formulated around that influence, but anyone who could harken back to it is almost entirely absent.

Am I wrong in thinking that's kind of peculiar?

 

I mean, for the most part, why would they? It's kind of hard to work multiple elderly people into a story primarily about a group of kids and their parents fighting monsters in mostly dark, empty locations.

There are definitely older people in the background of various shots but I don't see why one would expect many of them to have any larger roles than what Mrs. Driscoll got.

 

Why stop there? Why not focus on the generation of people before that generation? I mean what influenced the people who influenced the people influencing the kids?

Oh, because it's pretty damn silly to go that deep and it's just fine to stay focused on the kids and their parents?

Okay.

 

Spoiler: El

This was one thing I forgot to mention in my review and I really liked how they handled this for El. In addition to humanizing her, it also allows our heroes to step in order to help her instead of always relying on her to save them. I particularly liked how they left her power situation ambiguous and whether they were going to come back or not (despite Mike's assertions that they would). Of course, for story purposes, we know they will and they'll come back at the last second when our heroes need her, too. But it's a good story direction for her and hopefully we'll get to see her grow more as a normal young teenage girl in season 4 (but still dealing with the fact that she was treated as a lab rat that stunted her growth).

 

I felt that some of the season played out a bit too broadly and it kept it from being as engrossing as the previous two. Erica, in particular, may have taken it into near silly territory though Modine and the chauvinist newspaper bullpen was pushing it at times. I think it was intentional and it was fun but I think it wasn’t as moving as the series has been at its best and might’ve been better served dialing it back just a hair.

I don't want to seem like I’m hating it because that’s not the case because there’s a lot to like here. It’s always fun to see how they bring all the characters together even though they’re on separate paths initially. I did kind of find that the Russians felt tangential to the Flayer, like they opened the door but their agency ended there and not even knowingly. Joyce got more to do than just be harried, Robin was a nice addition further upping the gender balance, Justin and Steve were, well, adorable together, Max and El bond and so on. Hopper’s trying to be Magnum was a favorite bit for me.

My nephew started watching with us and he was actually compelled to stay off the Xbox for a while. He enjoyed the 80s fashions, cars and stores. He was asking if they really had Claire’s back then and I realized I had gotten my ear pierced at one in ... 1985. Then we started googling and giggling at people’s 1985 yearbook pictures. That definitely added a fun element for me.

 

I've got one episode left to watch, I'll watch it later this evening.

Really didn't like Erica being thrown into the mix, she's too broad and obvious in her character. Moreso than any of the other characters are in their particular tropes. (Though Dusty was reaching that point with how much he hounded on the radio, constantly calling for people and not giving them a chance to respond.)

And I noticed a mistake! A mistake! Come on, Duffer Brothers, you're better than this!

When they're at Back to the Future we see the Temporal Experiment #1 scene from the beginning of the movie and the DeLorean's return from the "past." We then cut to a shot of Dusty leaving the theater and hear the line, "You mean you built a time machine, out of DeLorean?" Which that line happens BEFORE the car comes back from the past as it prompts Doc to say, "I figure if you're going to build a time machine why not do it with some style?! Besides the stainless steel construction causes the flux disper..." then gets cut off by his watch beeping signaling the car's return.

Shame on you show, SHAME! I half expected them to show the "To be continued..." bit at the end of the movie when they go back to the theater for the "we don't need roads..." bit, because the "To be continued..." title card was added for the home video release and not in the original theatrical run.

 

The landscape of the show is a town though. Sort of like the Simpsons, that features all ranges of people. It's just odd that it's seemingly excluding a group that is also being referenced, when a group of people their age would be there in the town, pretty prominently

For example, I'd expect at least a couple old timers, who hadn't retired yet, working on that newspaper that dumps all over Nancy, and the school for that matter. A large number of the teachers in my school, when I was their age, were of that age group. I'm not saying they're wrong for not doing it, but it wouldn't be hard to, & you'd think they'd want to, given who the majority of references & Easter eggs are calling back to.

Because none of those people, before that, are being directly referenced as gags or easter eggs. It's clear that the Boomer Generation that put out pop culture in the 80s is one of the key factors in what this show pays homage to. I'm not saying it's bad that they don't. I'm saying it's kind of peculiar that they seem to be almost purposely avoiding it, seeing how integral those influences are to the show's dynamic.

But by all means, slam me like I'm being overly critical, when all it is, is an observation. There's nothing wrong with a narrative that focuses solely on the kids & their parents, but this show presents as a town dynamic too, & so much of it incorporates a culture that was created by the Boomers, & the point being, tell me you wouldn't think it was awesome if someone like Bruce Campbell were in charge of that misogynistic group of newspapermen?

As many references as this show makes, they seem to not want to do that, & I find that curious, & if I had a chance, might ask the creators about it

 

Aw, come on. I love Erica! I think she's a great fit for the group, especially with Steve, Dustin, and Robin.

I noticed the "To be continued" mistake, but I didn't pick up on the lines arrangement mistake. Oh, well. Not a big deal.

 

The My Little Pony nerd revelation was a perfect little moment that brought it all together imho. Before that, I might argue she was an outlier, but after it's spoken, she is totally in the mix now

 

I loved how she was outed as a nerd much to her shock.

 

The "To be continued" mistake wasn't there, but I expected it to be.

 

I thought of another one. I'm not overwhelmingly fond of the science teacher actor. He's alright, & since he's very peripheral, it's fine as is, but imagine how fun it would be if like Robert Carradine or Curtis Armstrong (From Revenge of The Nerds) had been cast, both of whom are now in their 60s, & could just as conceivably be the school's science teacher. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the show, just as it is, but that they're aren't doing that, is curious to me, when so much of what that age group did is being referenced

 

I liked her, my favorite bits was her calling Murray a bald bastard and her reaction shot at Dustin’s performance at the end. I just think there was too much and she undercut the menace with underselling being more scared when it would’ve been expected.

 

It was heavy handed. Yes, there was sexist treatment in many 80s workplaces, but here it was overstuffed just to build the "Nancy proves herself" sub-plot, which could have been as naturally developed as the other characters. At one point, the laughing staff was crossing the border into parody performances.

Weelllll...I remember those days, but the level of enjoyment depended on which city you were in; some mall stores seemed to pull employees from the "ass of the year" hiring service, so they made shopping in any store--even haunts like Sam Goody or Waldenbooks a chore.

About season three: the best part of it all was exploring how..

Spoiler

childhood friends often grow apart, while others are just content to keep having what were once their "good times." Separation was said to be the central theme of this season, and its clear that will run into S4. That said, there should not be some grand reunion, as in everyone magically getting together. For some characters, it was a Luke Skywalker situation as Aunt Beru pointed out what Owen did not want to admit, "Owen, he can't stay here forever. Most of his friends have gone." That applies to a number of characters, from Joyce to those who wanted to leave such as Steve, or those who were just embracing growing up, like Mike & Lucas. It happens, and despite plans for the series going forward, I see the core group just facing the reality that life is forced to move on elsewhere.

About the opening Mike was always high-strung, but he was a total ass in the opener, with not an ounce of respect for Hopper. Its fine for a teenager to be excited for his first romance, but he crossed the border into obsession-land. This applies to El too, though some might cut her some slack as she's still developmentally behind teens her age, so her emotional state has no middle ground.

Then, there was Mrs. Wheeler...I will leave it at that.

One ting I thought was enormously corny were the Russians; they were the kind of EEVIILL stereotypes that were already old in the 1980s, complete with the big, fake Tribute Schwarzenegger killer, bald leaders cold and utterly dedicated to the cause...that was fine (sort of) in media at the height of the Cold War in the early 1960s, but here it felt silly.

I know the Duffers love referencing / being influenced by other productions, and sometimes playing it for fun, but in this season, they just picked up the homage toybox and dumped in into the series, with everything from Salem's Lot (the book and 1979 TV miniseries), Marathon Man, The Terminator, Aliens (of course), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (again, of course) and other films. At times, it was a bit distracting, more than anything from the first two seasons.

In no surprise, the series' strongest asset were the character relationships, and how the leads--the young characters in particular--behave in very realistic, occasionally uncomfortable ways, as their conflicts and insecurities are played straight. No cutesy / stand-up comedian wannabe behavior like endless teen films of the 80s.

Regarding the romantic relationships, i'm glad the dramas were sort of settled; Mike finally opened up about his love for El (which is far different than his obsessive behavior in the season opener), Lucas and Max seem to relate on a very natural level, and it must be strong, since Lucas admitted Max has dumped him several times, yet they always reunite. Then, there's Dustin--so Suzie was real after all...but PLEASE..no more singing anything from THAT movie....

I--like many--do not believe Hopper is dead, but has been transported through the gate. Where...who knows, but he's such an important part of the show, and the father/daughter dynamic with El was one of the best elements of the previous season, an this year's finale.

Some fans believe this season is not as strong as 2, but it's about the same in terms of overall quality of scripting and character development.

SEASON GRADE: B-.

 

And now, having watched the whole thing, the sexism story in the newsroom is even worse because it has no pay off. There's no "big moment" for her at the end where she "lands the big story" to show off all the guys in the newsroom, particularly since he two biggest attackers were killed earlier in the season. So it comes off as just a bit heavy handed "message" stuff. Which, in part, I get but it was played strong and ended up having no pay off.

Sorry, just did not like Erica, her attacks and attitude were all just too much.

[Spoilers]So, obviously, the "American" in the Russian/Siberian holding cell is Hopper, right?"[/spoilers]

I don't think the 3rd season was as good as Season 2, or Season 1, but still good. To its plus, it didn't have that one episode like 2 did with Elle and her Short Circuit 2-ian trip to Chicago and being manipulated by some street punks. The battle in the final episode in the mall was very well done with the fireworks being brought into play and Elle's connection to Billy she had through her remote viewing session.

Overall, pretty good. The pay off with Dusty's long-distance girlfriend being real was also neat, I actually laughed and cheered a bit when he switched the channel to her to get the Plank's Constant number, but it also seemed to "suffer" from apparently another case of the show-runners not knowing how radios like this work in that when one person is talking the other doesn't get to push the button and ALSO talk. (And even allowing for that to be the case as the show plays it, one wonders why Hopper didn't pipe in with telling the kids that things were getting pretty close and they needed the number now.)

 

That's a fair criticism, but I'd say the "Pay off" they finally reaped is that at one point she accuses her boyfriend of being like them, & even though that wasn't entirely the case, the both of them kind of have a reconciliation about their differences, that they couldn't have had without those guys. Ultimately that was the purpose they served to the narrative. However, it surely was a whole lot of over the top, bordering unrealistic horseplay, to get to that singular plot point. So I pretty much agree with you

I kind of think that's the ride you bought the ticket for, once you cast Jake Busey. lol

This is where I again think they could accomplish more, with less overt references, which I agree can tend to distract, & instead have more surprise casting. Sean Astin was an AMAZING addition last year, which just having him be there was a reference, without it being a distraction. Jake Busey & Cary Elwes were maybe the only cast that did that this season, & it wasn't as effective imho

I think the show is in a place now where they have the acclaim & resources to do more of that, instead of the hamfisted 80s reference barrage. Matthew Broderick, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, etc... There's a fortune of talent, both comedic & dramatic, who were iconic to that era, to mine from, as well as my earlier suggestion of sourcing some of the Boomer Generation that were iconic to it as well, William Atherton, Judge Reinhold, Rutger Hauer. The list of people you could easily get for that show, that haven't been seen in ages is endless, & adding them serves to enrich the world with culture references, without bogging down the narrative

 

Bah, so it seems this game is only available on Switch, Playstation, and Xbox and not on any mobile platform (such as Android, which is what I have), contrary to that Wiki page. The official website doesn't indicate whether or not if it will be a mobile game or not, even though it's the same developer as the previous game.