Spoilers Stranger Things - Season 5

[FPAlpha]

The acting in all three episodes seemed average to me; nothing extraordinary. But of course, the Twitter crowd is already making fun of Millie Bobby Brown for her Botox and fillers, and convinced that Noah Schnapp is a terrible actor.

The Internet can suck a big one often enough when it's just people who want to stir up trouble, aka Internet Trolls. Everybody is of course entitled to their own opinion and that includes contrary opinions and i fully expected negative reactions because you can't please everybody. I have a feeling though that the majority likes the episodes so far.

I'm no beauty trend expert and i don't follow this but has Brown had some work done? At her age? And how would one know?

And concerning Schnapp i dare them to say that after they have seen his coming out scene, he knocked that out of the park. I feel his remarks concerning the Israel/Palestine situation is what's mainly causing the backlash.

 

[theenglish]

I haven't really talked much about the military plot and to be honest, I wish they had just not had it this season. It's so dumb and while I was excited for Hamilton to be on this series (I even mentioned her role being like that on Resident Alien), I wish she wasn't and I could remember her from Resident Alien instead. That whole plotline is dumb and just adds nothing to already a whole lot going on. They could just end all the military stuff by just blowing up the lab (Which is part of the plan anyway) but I hope there is a twist coming that is somewhat unexpected (How unexpected can things be in this internet culture).

I agree about the military plot line, especially treating the officers like they were Star Wars Imperial Troopers. I didn't liked the attacks on them in this recent installment of episodes. I can't imagine what is going to happen following this episode as there must have been reports that were transmitted outside of Hawkins. The only way to save our characters is to have some throwaway like they are actually a rogue operation, which would just make no sense.

 

[oktay]

I'm no beauty trend expert and i don't follow this but has Brown had some work done? At her age? And how would one know?

Looking at her face, it's obvious she's had cosmetic procedures, Botox, and fillers, especially when comparing her to previous seasons.

Also, there are a lot of young people in their 20s getting Botox, cosmetic procedures, and fillers.

And concerning Schnapp i dare them to say that after they have seen his coming out scene, he knocked that out of the park. I feel his remarks concerning the Israel/Palestine situation is what's mainly causing the backlash.

I agree that many people are reacting negatively to him because of his opinions on the Israel-Palestine issue. There are many celebrities in Hollywood who openly or secretly support Israel. But for some reason, Noah Schnapp and Gal Gadot, and those close to them, are particularly targeted. Anyway, I don't want to dwell on this and enter the neutral zone.

 

[Set Harth]

I'm no beauty trend expert and i don't follow this but has Brown had some work done?

I would think that should be somewhat obvious, for example this is her in the 80s:

 

[The Grinch Doctor]

The next round of behind-the-scenes videos!

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[The Grinch Doctor]

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[camdudetenger2018]

next wedensday untill the great war in the upside down compound between the party and the mr whats it platoon

 

[theenglish]

I'm hoping that something happens that we weren't expecting. My complaint, and its a big one, is that this season hasn't really given us anything surprising.

 

[eschaton]

Finished Part 2 last night. Some general thoughts.

• I have the same general problem with the show as in Part 1. There's just way, way too much exposition, and it's weighing the show down horribly. So many scenes where the group all sit around coming up with cockamamie plans, finishing one another's sentences in an unrealistic manner. So many times that we see something happen onscreen, and then when characters reunite, it gets explained to the audience a second or third time. So many times a character gets a sudden "eureka" moment as needed by the plot. I come to the yard for the character beats, and seeing so much conversation degrade to plot machinations is a let down.
• That said, the character payoffs have at least been better this time. The Nancy/Jonathan breakup scene was good (even if it wasn't clear in the moment it was a breakup) and the Dustin/Steve breakdown and reforging was incredible. The Will coming out scene could have been incredible, but him literally coming out to everyone (Murray? Kali?) made it a bit comical.
• I'm one of the folks who's had a problem with Noah's acting this season. He feels like a one-trick pony who's great in any scene which requires crying and screaming, but he can't make the leaden exposition talk they're giving him in regular scenes sing. Millie isn't being given the best stuff either, which I think is hurting her performance. On an acting perspective, Sadie is basically carrying this season, though there are a lot of others, like Gaten, Caleb, etc., who are doing yeoman's work with the scripts as well.
• I heard there was a "big twist" coming, and the realization that we're inside a wormhole was...underwhelming? I really hope the finale has some big realizations, because I think the big plot (as opposed to the little machinations which are keeping the gang busy) is really, really thin this season.

 

[Set Harth]

• I come to the yard for the character beats

Not the milkshake?

 

[The Grinch Doctor]

The Nancy/Jonathan breakup scene was good (even if it wasn't clear in the moment it was a breakup)...

How so? Weren't the unproposal and the tossing the ring away clear enough for you?

...and the Dustin/Steve breakdown and reforging was incredible.

Told ya.

The Will coming out scene could have been incredible, but him literally coming out to everyone (Murray? Kali?) made it a bit comical.

Hard disagree. It demonstrated his level of vulnerability and trust for the whole party who are about to go on a life or death mission to save the world. It was important to him to share with everyone going on that mission because they were already there. It would be super awkward to say "I need everyone to hear this...except you, Murray, and you, Kali."

And while he might have not have thought of it in the moment, Murray and Kali are close to Joyce and El, respectively, and that was reason enough for him.

 

[eschaton]

How so? Weren't the unproposal and the tossing the ring away clear enough for you?

I interpreted that scene as a recognition that they still cared for one another, marriage wasn't correct right now, but they both realized they needed a lot of work yet.

Hard disagree. It demonstrated his level of vulnerability and trust for the whole party who are about to go on a life or death mission to save the world. It was important to him to share with everyone going on that mission because they were already there. It would be super awkward to say "I need everyone to hear this...except you, Murray, and you, Kali."

And while he might have not have thought of it in the moment, Murray and Kali are close to Joyce and El, respectively, and that was reason enough for him.

It was incredibly anachronistic for a gay teenager coming out in the late 1980s. I am too young to have had experience with that era as a teen, but ten years later, the only friends who came out in HS all attempted suicide after. That's not to say I expect any of the characters to be homophobic in particular, but it smacked of modern wish fulfillment rather than being rooted in the lived experience of the time.

To be honest, Season 5 has been a lot sloppier with actually keeping period appropriate in the script. From discussion of "trauma bonding" to "benzos" to Derek's "suck my fattie" it seems phoned in a bit.

 

[theenglish]

And while he might have not have thought of it in the moment, Murray and Kali are close to Joyce and El, respectively, and that was reason enough for him.

It also seems like Murray has become trusted between season 4 and 5. The one piece I was surprised by was Will's confession that he had had a crush on Mike. The fact that they are basically going into a final battle and they all know it, made this confession and everyone's quick acceptance of it more impactful. Mike might have felt awkward about what Will said to him at some other time, and it might have taken others some time to get used to the news--but at that particularly moment, everyone's reactions were believable.

I have the same general problem with the show as in Part 1. There's just way, way too much exposition, and it's weighing the show down horribly. So many scenes where the group all sit around coming up with cockamamie plans, finishing one another's sentences in an unrealistic manner. So many times that we see something happen onscreen, and then when characters reunite, it gets explained to the audience a second or third time. So many times a character gets a sudden "eureka" moment as needed by the plot. I come to the yard for the character beats, and seeing so much conversation degrade to plot machinations is a let down.

I'm having a difficult time with this as well.

 

[JD]

I hadn't noticed the constant exposition thing until Honest Trailers pointed it out in their Part 1 trailer, and now that I noticed it with Part 2, it is kind of awkward. It's not anywhere near enough to really impact my overall enjoyment, but it definitely does stand out as one awkward part of the season.

 

[The Grinch Doctor]

I see what people are complaining about but I don't think it's nearly as bad as they say, and it certainly doesn't bother me. All of it flows fine for me.

 

[eschaton]

It's a common trope in some fictional genres (like heist movies) to have a detailed explanation of the overly-complicated plans where each member of the team has a distinct job. However, it's normal to only explain these plans when they fail. The tension comes from understanding that the plans will go awry. In contrast, in cases where the plans mostly succeed, a "quick cut" where the planning is skipped is better, because then the audience is held in suspense on the question of how they possibly will pull this shit off.

Of course, most of the intricate plans go badly this season. However, they mostly don't go bad in interesting ways - ways which require everyone to improvise on the fly as things go to shit. But in several cases (The Turnbow Trap, or Shock Jock, for example) the plan basically works until the last minute, where Vecna's dark magic just becomes an "I win" button. Even in cases like the kids rescue, where an interesting problem with tension is introduced with the flooding of the barracks, Vecna's appearance basically nullified any of the tension retrospectively (since all the kids, whether still under military captivity or in the van, were captured).

But the biggest issue is just the sheer repetition of these planning scenes. I think only Episodes 2 and 6 don't have a major spitballing session. And even in those cases, there's shades of it. Episode 2 was mostly reactive, but Mike and Nancy did seem weirdly detached regarding their mother's critical injury, hatching a plan to pump her for information. And in episode 6, there's the mini-plot about trying to find Dustin and the others in the Upside-Down. Both of these work, unlike the major convoluted plans. But there's a bit of a "boy who cried wolf" to these scenes by now. I feel like the season is wasting my time by now, and I'd rather just cut to seeing them all in action.

I dunno. I understand that people like active protagonists better than passive ones, but I'd like a season where the gang felt more on the back foot. After The Crawl, I think there should have been a slow ratcheting up, as a series of poor decisions caused both Vecna and the military to corner the team more and more. But the way the season is structured it feels more artificial, as they're always hatching another plan, which at least in part pays off, before Venca waves a magic wand and things inexplicably go to shit again.

 

[CaptainWacky]

Finished Part 2 last night. Some general thoughts.

• I have the same general problem with the show as in Part 1. There's just way, way too much exposition, and it's weighing the show down horribly. So many scenes where the group all sit around coming up with cockamamie plans, finishing one another's sentences in an unrealistic manner. So many times that we see something happen onscreen, and then when characters reunite, it gets explained to the audience a second or third time. So many times a character gets a sudden "eureka" moment as needed by the plot. I come to the yard for the character beats, and seeing so much conversation degrade to plot machinations is a let down.

There's so so so many scenes where the characters are explaining something and they have to start drawing the thing they're explaining or come up with some insane analogy that barely holds up (no, Dustin, this is nothing like Return of the Jedi.) The most stupid to me was when Robin realised that Max and Holly's minds are in a different place from their bodies...but instead of just saying that she has to start going on about record sleeves for no actual reason. I'm pretty sure Mike and Lucas could very easily understand the concept of minds and bodies being in different places given that El and Will are both capable of separating their minds from their bodies!

Murray worked in whatever season he first appeared as comic relief who only appears occasionally, but having him around all the time just exposes that he isn't believable as a human being. Nobody would talk and act like that all the time. Should have killed him this season to shake things up a bit, but apparenlty the only humans who can die anymore are members of the US military (who are all completely 100% evil so it's okay for them to die and cheer Nancy murdering them!)

The break-up scene was good and Natalia Dyer should be in more stuff.

Holly's actress is excellent for her age and pairing her up with the always great Sadie Sink made for some of the best stuff of the season. The scene with the kids turning against Holly and roughing her up was far scarier than anything involving the monsters.

I liked Karen getting involved. Wish the dad would a bit too.

I can't tell if the writers forgot to give El a personality this season or if it's just that Millie Bobby Brown is by far the worst actor in the show. She seemed positively bored during most of her scenes with Kali (and I agree with Hop's opinion on Kali.)

I can't compare Linda Hamilton's character here to Resident Alien as she actually HAD a character on RA and wasn't just completely generic evil woman who could be played by anyone. But they've got too many characters as it is without going off on a tangent givng her backstory.

 

[eschaton]

There's so so so many scenes where the characters are explaining something and they have to start drawing the thing they're explaining or come up with some insane analogy that barely holds up (no, Dustin, this is nothing like Return of the Jedi.) The most stupid to me was when Robin realised that Max and Holly's minds are in a different place from their bodies...but instead of just saying that she has to start going on about record sleeves for no actual reason. I'm pretty sure Mike and Lucas could very easily understand the concept of minds and bodies being in different places given that El and Will are both capable of separating their minds from their bodies!

A lot of people are blaming all this on Netflix second-screen syndrome/modern internet brain rot. Whatever it is, it's just frustrating as hell, because "answers" pretty much always make a story worse - particularly a story rooted in horror like Stranger Things.

There's nothing scary about the show any longer but lame-ass jump scares.

Murray worked in whatever season he first appeared as comic relief who only appears occasionally, but having him around all the time just exposes that he isn't believable as a human being. Nobody would talk and act like that all the time. Should have killed him this season to shake things up a bit, but apparenlty the only humans who can die anymore are members of the US military (who are all completely 100% evil so it's okay for them to die and cheer Nancy murdering them!)

My problem with Murray is more that unless he's somehow become a multimillionaire in between seasons, his role here makes no sense. He seemingly has no job (Joyce, Hopper, - no one seems to work any longer) yet he's able to procure thousands of dollars with of weapons and gear and smuggle them into Hawkins. How?

Holly's actress is excellent for her age and pairing her up with the always great Sadie Sink made for some of the best stuff of the season. The scene with the kids turning against Holly and roughing her up was far scarier than anything involving the monsters.

Yeah, the new Holly is a standout this season. The scenes with Sadie suffer a bit because she's overexplaining (like everyone else) but Sadie at least has the acting chops to make dumb exposition sound okay (unlike say Noah).

I can't tell if the writers forgot to give El a personality this season or if it's just that Millie Bobby Brown is by far the worst actor in the show. She seemed positively bored during most of her scenes with Kali (and I agree with Hop's opinion on Kali.)

El's arc pretty much ended with Season 4. I'm not enamored with her acting, but with the bloated cast now, there's really not that much time to do much with her other than play the greatest hits with Hopper.

 

[JD]

Yeah, the girl who plays Holly has been doing a great job the is season. I was shocked when I saw an interview with and realized she's English, I never would have guessed watching her play Holly, she does a better fake American accent than some adult British actors I've seen.

I see what people are complaining about but I don't think it's nearly as bad as they say, and it certainly doesn't bother me. All of it flows fine for me.

My only problem with the scenes is just that there's so many of them, so it started getting repetitive after awhile.

 

[Lakenheath 72]

I have no issue with Will's coming out party. Vecna had been using his fear of what would happen if he did come out to control him. By facing his biggest fear, Vecna lost the one thing he had over Will.

The last episode, The Bridge, has one of the lowest ratings of any episode, and I think that is because of the culture war. It has become hard to find a genuine critique of the show on some YouTube channels as they immediately begin spouting right wing talking points about the woke culture and/or Hollywood ideology. It's disgusting.

I didn't understand what was being said in the conversation between Nancy and Jonathan; I am glad that others have a better reading of it than I did.

I think the Duffer brothers will do okay. It might not be a successful landing, but I don't think it will be a hard crash. Maybe a soft crash?