That was fantastic! And of course Hopper's letter kills me again - it did so when i saw it in the show and it does it again in animated form.
Can't wait for the season!
Spoilers Stranger Things - Season 4
- Thread starter The Nth Doctor
- Start date
That was fantastic! And of course Hopper's letter kills me again - it did so when i saw it in the show and it does it again in animated form.
Can't wait for the season!
Yup, every time I watch that scene, either the original or that animated version (which I've watched several times now), I lose it. 
New poster!
Yup, I think I'm beginning my own marathon this weekend.
Getting close...!
Edited to add: Even the New York Times crossword is feeling the hype!
Getting close...!
Edited to add: Even the New York Times crossword is feeling the hype!
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I...need David Harbour's jacket.
One more since the board won't let me do more than five videos per post. 
I'm watching the series again. Currently in episode 4 The Body and I forgot that they used Joy Division at the beginning of the episode. I also forgot how prominent the ET references were this season. This first season is so much like watching a Spielberg film from the period, which is why I fell in love with it originally.
The show really gets the 80s right. There are some sayings I don't recognize, but that probably comes down to geography. What it does get right are things like the casual use of "gay" as an insult which was so common when I was a kid.
Added to original post: The other thing I noticed this time around is that Steve doesn't come across as as much of an a**hole as he did the first time I watched it. Sure, he was a jerk but his confrontation with Jonathan when he breaks Jonathan's camera is pretty justifiable considering the content of the pictures.
The other thing that stands out for me is Winona Rider's performance. She is absolutely great. David Harbour as Jim Hopper is also great, and Hopper's growth throughout the first season is a joy to watch.
The Dark Room scenes: Back in the day, developing film in the the dark room at school with a pretty girl (or guy) was the most intimate experience for those of us who were not in the popular groups. Kids today a really missing out.
One thing I hope does not happen with the series is an attempt to explain what the Upside Down is. We really don't need an explanation for that--just deal with why governments are trying to access it if that is needed.
The show really gets the 80s right. There are some sayings I don't recognize, but that probably comes down to geography. What it does get right are things like the casual use of "gay" as an insult which was so common when I was a kid.
Added to original post: The other thing I noticed this time around is that Steve doesn't come across as as much of an a**hole as he did the first time I watched it. Sure, he was a jerk but his confrontation with Jonathan when he breaks Jonathan's camera is pretty justifiable considering the content of the pictures.
The other thing that stands out for me is Winona Rider's performance. She is absolutely great. David Harbour as Jim Hopper is also great, and Hopper's growth throughout the first season is a joy to watch.
The Dark Room scenes: Back in the day, developing film in the the dark room at school with a pretty girl (or guy) was the most intimate experience for those of us who were not in the popular groups. Kids today a really missing out.
One thing I hope does not happen with the series is an attempt to explain what the Upside Down is. We really don't need an explanation for that--just deal with why governments are trying to access it if that is needed.
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Well, they literally already have tried to explain it in every season so far, so I don't see why not.
For me the main mystery is whether the physical manifestation of it was always there, or if that's the direct result of opening the breach into out world. Sort of morphogenic backwash; an echo or footprint of our physical reality bleeding into it's. The presence of parked cars and buildings suggests more the latter to me, because how else would they get there?
Indeed I've had a pet theory since season 1 that the entire upside-down is in it's way, a living organism. A universe sized Lovecraftian nightmare beast, and most of what we've seen thus far (demogorgons, the mind flayer, the spores etc.) has been an immune response to the wound of opening a breach and the infection of our reality into it's.
For me the main mystery is whether the physical manifestation of it was always there, or if that's the direct result of opening the breach into out world. Sort of morphogenic backwash; an echo or footprint of our physical reality bleeding into it's. The presence of parked cars and buildings suggests more the latter to me, because how else would they get there?
Indeed I've had a pet theory since season 1 that the entire upside-down is in it's way, a living organism. A universe sized Lovecraftian nightmare beast, and most of what we've seen thus far (demogorgons, the mind flayer, the spores etc.) has been an immune response to the wound of opening a breach and the infection of our reality into it's.
That's a great theory. What I mean by not explaining the Upside Down is leaving any narrative explanations we do get vague enough to leave some wonder and uncertainty about it.
I guess it depends on what kind of story they want to tell.
It's entirely possible that the whole thing is a creation of El's psyche. That her mind touched a plane if reality that instantaneously shaped itself into a reflection of her subconscious, and coming to terms with the reality that all this time she's essentially been fighting herself; a manifestation of her mental illness--her own literal demons--will be necessary to round out the series and bring her story to a close.
I always thought of the upside down as the shadowfell from DnD, given all the show's DnD references. A murky, dark, evil reflection of our own world.
I like that idea. There's definitely some kind of connection to our world, since everything there is such a perfect match to our world, but it doesn't appear have upside down versions of people here to have built it. So it's not just a Star Trek or Marvel style parallel universe with monsters in it.
The fact that Vecna is the first humanoid, speaking monster we've seen so far, and that they've waited so close to the end to introduce him, makes think he might be the one who's controlling everything there.
Started my rewatch this evening and I'm three episodes in. Even knowing how things play out, it's hard not get swept up in the emotions of Will's disappearance and what actually happened to him. After all of the wonderfully nostalgic touches to the 80s (and Durham in particularly, which I share an upbringing with the Duffers), the most outstanding aspects of the first season are how well it handles El's and Joyce's own personal traumas, between El's confinement and enforced experiments and Joyce's overwhelming sense of grief and inability to find Will. It's not there yet beyond little hints, but Hopper's trauma of losing his daughter is also a major highlight and I know I'm going to be swept away by that, too.
And then there's Barb. Hard to believe she was only in two episodes plus the opening minutes of the third but she left such a lasting impact, not just on Nancy but also on all of us. I know we got closure for her death in the second season but I can't help but wonder if there's more...(I know there isn't but still).
Clearly there's a direct connection between El and the Upside Down even if it's just how she caused a rupture between the two worlds. I know all of this is not based in science but it does seem a bit of stretch that Brenner's experiments on Terry and then El were powerful enough to create a mind that could cause such a rupture. Which makes me think that there might be more to the Upside Down's existence and how it's connected to our world. Maybe El's mind helped begin that rupture but then the Upside Down (Vecna or something else) helped greatly from their end?
And then there's Barb. Hard to believe she was only in two episodes plus the opening minutes of the third but she left such a lasting impact, not just on Nancy but also on all of us. I know we got closure for her death in the second season but I can't help but wonder if there's more...(I know there isn't but still).
Yeah, that's really rough...but it's also authentic. I remember that pretty clearly and I was guilty of using such slurs as a kid before I knew better.
Yeah, that stood out to me the first time I rewatched the first season but it still stands out now. From his perspective, he was justified in his anger...even if it hurts for me to see him break that camera.
Gods, yes. I really miss working in a dark room. I keep saying that one of these days when I have a place with enough space, I'll build one of my own. It's such a wonderful experience that [old man] kids these days have no idea what they're missing out on! [/old man]
I love that theory and I think it's one that has held up pretty well up to this point. But I think the presence of Vecna this season may upheave that notion if he's a fully sentient being with direct malice.
That also makes a lot of sense until, again, Vecna.
Clearly there's a direct connection between El and the Upside Down even if it's just how she caused a rupture between the two worlds. I know all of this is not based in science but it does seem a bit of stretch that Brenner's experiments on Terry and then El were powerful enough to create a mind that could cause such a rupture. Which makes me think that there might be more to the Upside Down's existence and how it's connected to our world. Maybe El's mind helped begin that rupture but then the Upside Down (Vecna or something else) helped greatly from their end?
I should probably mention that aside from the initial teaser released forever ago, I've avoided pretty much everything about the upcoming season, so I can't really comment intelligently one who or what this Vecna is (I'm assuming another new big-bad named after a D&D monster?)
My favorite line in the whole series:
"I'm looking for the chocolate pudding- lunch lady hoards that shit!"
"I'm looking for the chocolate pudding- lunch lady hoards that shit!"
We don't know much beyond what we see in the trailer and that he's named after a D&D monster/villain (I don't know which since I've never played). What I said in my first quote is mostly speculation (hence the "if") so we'll see in a couple of weeks.
