"Stranger Things 2" (Season Two) Thread

Drops Friday, October 27th.

I'll probably skip it. I thought the first season was mediocre. Great acting, but incoherent storytelling that didn't follow its own internal logic.

I will! Hope it is as good as Season One!

My prediction: Season two will be a colossal letdown and permanently damage the show's reputation. The seasons following it will be better but the hype will be long gone and thus will never fully return to the glory days of the first season.

Will Barb return?

They chose a strange release date with October 27.

They should have released it on October 1st.

R6 I get the feeling they figured people will be gathering together for costume/Halloween parties and might watch it together in groups.

Yes, I love to put on a costume and sit around a room with a bunch of other people in costumes and watch teevee.

R4 I also have a bad feeling about this one, especially after the last trailer which was a massive letdown in my view. I hope I'm wrong, though.

It got a B from the AV Club.

I was certain I heard somewhere that critics wouldn't be getting screeners of the second season in advance but I guess that info was wrong.

Sepinwall liked Season 2

[quote]‘Stranger Things 2’ Is A Sequel That Mostly Lives Up To The Original

Will Winona give the same horrendous performance she did in Season 1?

I couldn’t get into season 1 and I was so excited when I originally heard about this show

I'm only going to be watching because I like the boyfriend. Not the older brother who looks like he's got Progeria, the guy the anorexic chick was dating at the beginning.

I'm actually worried about it keeping so much of before. My ideal image of a second season was something in between keeping everything and being an anthology. Like, move out of the same town but instead move to a city, keep some of the characters but leave others behind (at least until a third or fourth season), etc. Tap into fan favorites without dragging too long with specific things just around for nostalgia (which runs out anyway; see how they're moving out of D&D and onto Ghostbusters at least).

i really have 0 interest in a bunch of kids doing shit. i did watch the 1st one and i still had little interest then.

a hard NO.

One of the ugly kids is now doing Verizon Fios commercials. He annoys me.

Winona's got a new wig for season 2!

a new wig??? REALLY????

still

a unbreakable hard NAY

Sean Astin sucked hard on The Strain so I hope he's either improved his acting since or that he won't be around for long.

First episode started with heavy handed music and when it turned more serious it got much better.

I hope Sean Astin dies soon and Paul Reiser ain’t no Matthew Modine.

Still at the end Of chapter 1 I was crying like a baby. I love this show so much.

Chapter 3 is very good. Not even directed by the brothers.

Winona is better this year. I’m liking Nancy also after I was sincerely worried about the actress being too thin. David Harbour could lose a few pounds. Barb is getting a storyline but I assume she doesn’t appear.

Astin is playing an annoying character too convincingly. He is much better in chapter 3.

The hot blonde bully has strange hair I can’t stop staring at. It’s like they gave him a mullet but changed it with CGI maybe because in IT there was also a hot blonde bully with a mullet.

Is anyone else watching? The last 3 responses have been me. What is wrong with you people?

[quote]Is anyone else watching? The last 3 responses have been me. What is wrong with you people?

It is the middle of the afternoon on a weekday...?

I am off on Friday plus taking Monday off for my Birthday. I envy those who have normal work days.

Finished it just now. I still wish this was a weekly show because I skipped a lot of the dialogue even though I've been waiting for over a year for another instalment. Just couldn't help myself.

Anyway, this was in my opinion neither better nor worse than the first season; it was on the exact same level of quality. Which is extremely rare for any show to achieve, especially a show as hyped as this one. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, even the New York detour.

I just wish they had made the young Zac Effron homosexual. Being excluded from this is really starting to bum me out.

Eleven goes by "El" now... Cute

Sean Astin has officially become a FAT FUCK

Look back to his body in 'Toy Soldiers", and wonder at how far he's fallen.

My God, how many Negroes can they manage to cram into this shit show??

Fuck off, racist pig at R30.

So, the hot blonde bully with the mullet .... is totally gay, right? Obviously a closet case, but he was checking out Steve pretty hard in that shower scene, and seeing the bulge Steve was sporting in his jeans later on I can see why. I thought at first he might have been abusing the redhead little girl, but I'm guessing he's her stepbrother or something? I'm only up to ep 5.

The stuff they are putting Will and Eleven through is really horrific, though. One could say that Will's storyline where he's being haunted by the Upside Down place is an analogy to being sexually abused. He has all the signs and the PTSD. It's really quite disturbing, especially that scene at the end of the fourth episode. Jesus.

Winona got work? She must have a good agent.

As soon as I saw there was a totured magical girl and a group of loser boys I was like bye, honey, I don't have time for this.

R31 What!?! You mean they've added more niggers to the show?!?

I loved the sassy little sister I wish she had a bigger part. She reminded me of the wonderful Dee from What’s Happening.

I take back all the bad stuff I said about Astin. I like him now even though he seems to be written out now. I’m on chapter 6 and waiting to watch the last ones I will be sad when it’s over and have to wait a year.

I’m not crazy about El’s storyline. Is Harbour her father? The scenes with her mother was done so well last year not so much this year.

Marathoning it. I didn't recognize Paul Reiser.

When the story doesn't focus on El, it kinda sucks. I have ZERO interest in Nancy's love life.

They are over doing the music. It ruined the scenes of Nancy and Jonathan getting together.

Are Mike and Eleven ever going to get together?

Everyone treats Max like shit (except Lucas). It really pisses me off. That girl has it rough.

I was hoping Eleven (the name I prefer) and Max would have scenes together and we would have some sisterhood looks like that isn’t happening.

I like diversity when good actors get cast who normally wouldn’t but to have an interracial relationship in the 80s like it was no big deal needs better writing.

Why does Eleven’s sister and her gang have strange hairstyles ?

Millie Bobby Brown is so great. I hope she has a long career.

I really like chapter 7 and I’m glad —- I assume isn’t dead.

This is good. Damn good. I love how they make Winona Ryder the smartest one on the show.

I hate the option to skip intro. Why you want to skip one of the best intros in TV history ?

Why is Cara Buono I listed in the credits? She is barely in it.

Grace is straight and she also caught that extra something in the shower scene. So it can't be just wishful thinking on our part.

Also, there was that Chekhov's slur dropped by his father. I think we'll see him being portrayed as homosexual in the next two seasons. I want the mother of all redemption arcs for him.

How do you not recognize Paul Reiser.

I was shocked how hot Steve looked in the shower scene and by his jeans bulge. I'm crushing on Steve this season.

Mullet asshole is TOTALLY a closet case.

I think the producers like Steve. He got promoted to be a member of the Goonirs and got to swing his Nagaan bat instead of following around Nancy.

Goonies.

R45 That jeans bulge was out of this world but I can't get past the low hairline. Was that a wig or his real hair?

Why do sequels always split up the team? Our 'band of brothers' have been separated for most of the first half of the series...

I was hoping Barb was still alive but I guess she is dead dead.

Grace? Chekhov? Who are these people?

I don’t know if the product placement is bad or if they are doing a spook about a movie with product placement.

R50, we've known Barb was dead since last season. Why would you think she's not dead when we SAW HER ROTTING BODY IN THE UPSIDEDOWN?

I wish David Harbour would show his bare ass.

True r49. Dustin and the Lucas was doing a storyline by themselves for awhile. The separation I miss most is Mike and Eleven I assume Mike was also working on It so he didn’t get a heavy storyline. I haven’t seen the last two episodes but I assume they will finally get together.

Oops. The actor who plays Jonathan is denied to be able to come to the Us. They found traces of cocaine in his luggage.

Yeah I was hoping for some nudity in the shower scenes also.

R52 I NEVER.... Yes I remember seeing her body but didn’t realize it was rotting. This is is sci-fi They can do what they want. Looks like like they revived the great villain Matthew Modine why not America’s sweetheart Barb?

They've been saying she was dead for a year.

The biggest problem with the show is that the actress who plays Nancy is not very charismatic nor sympathetic. It's almost impossible to feel very sorry for her.

Loved Winona's look of total determination when her son basically told her that monster molested him. Great face acting.

I think Winona is even better this season.

The actress who plays Nancy also very clearly has an eating disorder and it's hard to look at her.

[quote]How do you not recognize Paul Reiser.

Because he's old, gray and chunky. Last time I remember seeing him was in that show with Helen Hunt.

This show still captures the 80's perfectly. The music, the clothes, even the homes.

I wonder if kids today can even relate to these 80s kids running around with no adult supervision...

Did they ever show Dustin’s poor mother again? She really loved that cat.

Just finished watching it, it was good.

R62, I'm not a "kid" anymore, but I love this show because it brings back memories. I was born in '87, just turned 30. They played many of the songs when I was a kid.

80s was a good time. Also the golden age of gay porn.

I liked Nancy until she got together with Jonathan. She’s always wearing coats to cover up her prolbem.

In the first season, I thought the kid playing Will Byers was the weakest link of the child actors and figured it was a good thing his part was fairly minimal. But holy hell, he's been absolutely terrific. Such a heartbreaking performance. Obviously the directors knew where they wanted to go with this kid if they got a second season.

I assumed rResier was replacing Modine as the main villain but I guess not.

Hey gang are you like me? We’re you first annoyed with Astin then think he was a good addition to the cast?

Yes Will is deserving of an Emmy.

I wonder what will will be the thrust of Season 3? How can they top the "Big Bad" of the Shadow Monster? Maybe people in Hawkins start getting possessed/Body Snatched? Picture it...the old secretary at the police station with black vines growing out of her face...

Personally, the THRUST I want to see is Steve thrusting up Mullet's tight ass!

Eleven was sidelined for most of the season, I found that lazy writing because they didn't want her to help the main characters til the finale. That episode with her sister was awful, those characters were all one dimensional cartoons and the whole thing felt like it was out of some lesser show. Also, Kelli is on a quest to attack the bad men but hasn't tried to go after the facility itself? Why not just blow it up, she doesn't care about human life.

I'm happy the actors who play Dustin and Lucas had such prominent roles, they are wonderful, and I was okay with the actor who played Mike no longer being the "main kid". And yes, they did upgrade Steve to nearly being a member of the gang, gave the actor a plotline outside of Nancy (and yes, I knew there would be comments her about him bulging in his jeans)

Thank you the Duffer brothers for giving the gays some goodies by having Dacre Montgomery being objectified all season and even a homoerotic shower scene, loved that.

I found Winona terribly one-note in Season 1, she was better here.

[quote]Yes Will is deserving of an Emmy.

Snort. No.

[quote]I wish David Harbour would show his bare ass.

I thought we might in that shower scene, but I guess this isn't the type of show that is going to do nudity.

Overall it was a worthy effort. It maintained the same level of quality that season 1 did (which was good but not perfect either). As I said, my main complaint is found Eleven's plotline to be a terrible decision and badly executed.

[quote]Oops. The actor who plays Jonathan is denied to be able to come to the Us. They found traces of cocaine in his luggage.

How embarrassing, having to miss the premiere of his show. Sounds like there was just bits of coke on his clothes, isn't like he was trying to transport it. Though man, he is sloppy with his coke apparently! You don't want to waste it on your clothes.

R62: My tween niece and nephew who are watching the show are fascinated by how much freedom kids had in "olden times."

[quote]I like diversity when good actors get cast who normally wouldn’t but to have an interracial relationship in the 80s like it was no big deal needs better writing.

Her brother did make a comment about not hanging out with people like that.

But I had the same thought, being in an interracial relationship in a smalltown in Indiana in the 1980s sadly would have some people bitching.

[quote]I think the producers like Steve. He got promoted to be a member of the Goonirs and got to swing his Nagaan bat instead of following around Nancy.

Steve was originally supposed to die in Season 1, but the duffer brothers fell in love with Joe Keery.

[quote]I wish David Harbour would show his bare ass.

God, yes. He's such a MAN.

Mews the cat is going to be the Barb of season 2.

The scene where Dustin's mom is in the yard pathetically calling for Mews is the only heartbreaking scene in the only series.

The Chicago episode was cringeworthy and the truly only awful note of both seasons. There are much more organic and plausible ways to introduce other 00s into Eleven's life. I'm interested in the others like her.

Has there been any word on whether or not there will be another season?

[quote]Has there been any word on whether or not there will be another season?

Of course! This show is a huge hit for netflix, and the duffer brothers have said they see it as a four season show ( we will see if they actually stop at four)

Oh I don’t think I could be responsible for my actions if there isn’t a 3rd season. Bad enough we have to wait a year. I will miss it more than GOT.

Despite some flaws it is amazing this season was just as good maybe parts better than first season. I loved Dustin in season one I loved him more in season 2. We all agree with Nancy he is our favorite.

Cmon r78 the cat getting ate was sad but Sean Astin is the Barb of this season. Also thee was another heartbreaking moment when Dustin got turned down twice at the dance until Nancy saved the day.

I think one of the brothers must be gay with Barbra and Mullet looking like he just stepped out of a Matt Sterling video. BTW this show deserves an hairdressing Emmy for Dustin and Mullet they both had mullets and look damn good.

Meant Barbra on the soundtrack.

One thing bad about show not being a regular series it could have a Talking Dead like show to discuss it

I got to hate the lisping fat boy by the end of the show. He's got genuine comic timing, but he's so annoying!

"I'm sorry, you ate my cat."

I loved Eleven in the ridiculous Pat Benatar outfit in the later episodes. I kept expecting she was going to engage in an angry dance-off with a pimp.

Beyond Stranger Things has a much better host than Hardwick. I think he played in Community and is gay as a goose. I think he enjoyed talking about Mullet.

One of the brothers seemed argumentative and bitchy like the typical DLer.

Beyond helps those (me!) sad when the show is over and you have to wait a year for something new. We get a video of Barb but no Winona so far. Max is beautiful in real life.

I really liked the new actress who played Max. And yes the new bully character (her brother) was able to sometimes be quite sexy and sometimes be quite disgusting.

Most of the younger children were deeply annoying at one point or another, including all of the boys except Lucas. The series had too many twelve year olds throwing extreme tantrums. I found it almost impossible to care about Will since his tantrums were so ridiculous, The kids were appealing being nerds, but I wasn't able to find the attempts to sentimentalize their friendship very interesting.

Paul Reiser surprised me--at first I thought he was going to play his role like the villain he played in "Aliens," but I liked how multilayered his character was. He has certainly aged a lot though, although it's not surprising since I'd barely seen him in the last fifteen years.

Winona Ryder was much better in this series--she wasn't trying to chew the scenery as much as during the first series.

Sean Astin is as fat as all get-out now, but he can genuinely be likeable.

It made me uncomfortable how they used the F word though. I know homophobia was normal back in the 80s, but it still doesn't make it any less awful every time I hear the word.

[quote]Sean Astin is as fat as all get-out now, but he can genuinely be likeable.

I think Sean is a cutie. Yes, he is fat, but he's one of the few fatties I'd be willing to fuck.

I believe only the bad guys used the gay f word so that wasn’t so bad. Will looks much better without the pageboy do. Bill Nye!!

Mullet is on Beyond!

And he is wearing another low cut shirt!

Mullet had Thanksgiving with The Brothers.

Mullet landed the role by filming himself dancing to Duran Duran in a g-string r92. The guy definitely doesn't mind showing skin.

[quote]Why is Cara Buono I listed in the credits? She is barely in it.

Yeah, I had the same thought. She is credited as a main cast member but Nancy and Mike's mom barely existed this season, her fun flirting scene with mullet was the only thing she had all season. Wonder if they are going to keep that little plot going for season 3.

Duffer Brothers I beg you! Release the g string video!!! I’m totally obsessed with Mullet and I bet the Gay Mafia is trying to get ahold of him while we speak. What is it about Perth that so many good looking stars come from there?

All the stars showed up either in person or video on Beyond except Winona the star of the series. I wonder why.

Zac Efron who???

[quote]think one of the brothers must be gay with Barbra on the soundtrack and Mullet looking like he just stepped out of a Matt Sterling video.

There were also hints about Will maybe being gay in season 1 (wouldn't be surprised if they go back to that in future seasons). I do wonder if one of them is gay,.

Also I love that Matt Sterling line, kudos.

Mullet on Beyond seemed to have no prolbem being a sex object even admitting to putting cologne on his privates in real life. I liked how he charmingly said he was nothing like his character.

Looks like I will be watching something called the Power Rangers for the first time.

[quote]Looks like I will be watching something called the Power Rangers for the first time.

It actually isn't a bad movie. I watched that show as a kid so had to check out the movie expecting to be to terrible but I was pleasantly surprised.

[quote]Mullet on Beyond seemed to have no prolbem being a sex object even admitting to putting cologne on his privates in real life.

His instagram looks like this

And he loves dressing like this for PR events.

[quote]Most of the younger children were deeply annoying at one point or another, including all of the boys except Lucas. The series had too many twelve year olds throwing extreme tantrums. I found it almost impossible to care about Will since his tantrums were so ridiculous, The kids were appealing being nerds, but I wasn't able to find the attempts to sentimentalize their friendship very interesting.

They have to be real people, not just adorable dorks. I mean 8th graders are highly emotional beings, the show has no choice but to keep growing with the characters.

[quote]Did they ever show Dustin’s poor mother again? She really loved that cat.

She got anothet cat, never finds out what happens to Mews.

The actress was great, hope they give her a little more to do in season 3.

I don't know why but I really started to hate the actor that was also in it and the toothless kid, the cursing thing us annoyingly shit, it's like kids cursing is new and revolutionary to these 50 year old execs or something.

The Chicago diversion really did seem like an attempt at a spin-off... if it were a normal TV show.

My biggest problem with season two is how Eleven was side-lined. Episode before the end, and everyone still just assumes she's dead except the cop (and he doesn't seem too concerned that he hasn't been around to check on her for days)

[quote]the cursing thing us annoyingly shit, it's like kids cursing is new and revolutionary to these 50 year old execs or something.

The Duffer brothers would have you know they are only 33 bitch!

But yeah, I don't mind the kids cussing because kids that age do cuss so it is realistic dialog, however they hide it and don't cuss to parents. There were a few times the characters were dropping profanity to parents which they they aren't going to do, and is definitely just done because it is "funny"

LOVE the music.

The shower scene definitely made me think of the DLers who like to mourn how guys used to get freely naked in the lockerroom together and no one towel-danced.

Rob Lowe thinks mullet looks like a young him

The actress that plays eleven has the most interesting accent. British?

Mullet boy is a total closet case and attracted to Steve which is why ke kept picking on him. I think in season 3 he'll fuck Mike's mother in an attempt to act straight but we'll see more of his attraction to Steve (who's now single so who knows what might happen).

[quote]The actress that plays eleven has the most interesting accent. British?

Yep, Millie Brown is british. As is Jonathan. And mullet is an aussie.

[quote]Mullet boy is a total closet case and attracted to Steve which is why ke kept picking on him.

Perhaps part 1

Perhaps part 2

a show made by pedophiles for pedophiles

Okay r114.....

Bye dear.

[quote]The Duffer brothers would have you know they are only 33 bitch!

And they're surprisingly attractive.

The Duffer brothers are having to defend the Chicago episode which has been getting lots of hate online.

They were trying to be like The Warriors instead it was like a bad SNL skit of The Warriors. The wacky hairstyles made it worse.

R118 sometimes I think that's the point. They really are trying to bring back memories of 80's culture with this show.

I don’t think the episode was so bad some of it was good. Giving the much loved Eleven a stand alone episode was good idea it just could have been done better. It was like it was the first job whoever did hair had ever done.

The 80s punk scene did have these ridiculous hair styles, my main problem is none of those characters felt like real people. And the one person who did get development, Kelli, I didn't think the actress was that strong. They really needed good talent there to anchor that episode.

The scenes with Eleven’s wasn’t very good either but first season her scene was perfect. I wonder if the brothers took some time off during the shoot of that episode or did they just hire a lousy director?

Eleven’s mother.

They didn't direct that episode, someone named Rebecca Thomas did and it is the only episode of the show she has directed.

You think a woman would care about hairdressing. Also in some of Eleven’s mothers scenes it looked like she was wearing a bad wig.

Until the actual arrival of the parents, I was sure Max and her step brother were like numbers 012 and 003 or something, even after Max told the story to the group. It’s cool though, as they get to stay around and we get Mullet’s inevitable gay reveal. It would be cute if Mullet and Steve start flirting, but Mullet seems like the type who gets violent after the act, so that might be a little too dark.

I do hope that they can conjure another human villain for next season.

Loved Eleven’s outfit change in Chicago. And the reunion was clichéd, but I still loved every moment of it.

I also loved Sean Astin’s character’s arc by the end. I also thought he might end up being a secret villain or something, but it’s nice that they kept him wholesome...in keeping with his sci-fi & fantasy characters. However, a smoking, frantic, retail-working single mother like Joyce would sadly still be looking for abusive bad men to dick her down IRL.

I thought the scenes in the PI’s House were pretty cringey. He was basically like “You’re young, and attractive. Please have sex.” Blegh. I mean it was cute that they did it, but it was still cringey.

[quote]I thought the scenes in the PI’s House were pretty cringey. He was basically like “You’re young, and attractive. Please have sex.” Blegh. I mean it was cute that they did it, but it was still cringey.

I found that scene weird as well, how invested this guy was in these two teenagers love lives and getting them to fuck each other. Very contrived.

Though the "how was the pull-out, Jonathan?" line was a fantastic double entendre.

I liked Jonathan the first season and felt bad he didn’t get together with Nancy. When he did this season with the creepy factor and overdone music is was meh. Will he ever be allowed back to the States?

I hate how everyone acts like Nancy is some red hot sex goddess. She's a homely bag of bones,

I'm actually in it and my director was not the brothers but the guy who won an Oscar for "Finding Nemo". Great guy. As was the star I got to work opposite. A complete sweetheart. Very nice gig. I even liked the Wardrobe woman and that is rare.

R129, weren’t people generally skinner back then? I kind of appreciate that she isn’t voluptuous like present-day portrayals of “teenagers”. But I was still sucking tit in the 80’s, so I’m guessing here.

Very cool r130. That'd be Andrew Stanton, he did episodes five and fix for this season. I have some guesses of which scenes needed extras with the main characters, but I guess you don't want to go more specific.

Do you have any knowledge of whether Matt Duffer is gay? There is nothing about his personal life on the internet other than he once mentioned he is single.

(Not an extra but that's all I can say. And no info on anyone other than the one I acted with who was sweet).

Was Winona on a coke binge that day?

[quote]Will he ever be allowed back to the States?

It is unknown at this time, but I imagine he will be able to get permission to enter the States again.

Though honestly I don't think the show would lose that much if Jonathan was written out.

The Sean Astin bits with the computer were cringe-worthy. People who know nothing about computers shouldn't write computer dialog or computer-related scenes. A system like that would NOT be running on BASIC. It'd probably be fortran or C, running on some early UNIX system. BASIC was a learning language for kids.

Doctors, cops, and lawyers have to deal with that shit all the time r136.

If a show tackles something you specialize in, it is going to piss you off by how inaccurate it is.

Fewer and fewer shows are doing that so blatantly, though, R137. Witness "Mr Robot" for one good example.

I binged the 2nd installment. It was pretty good - and Dart oh my that was funny where the grown up Dart recognized the kid who took care of him.

There are comments on all these videos hating on how Dacre was showing some chest while doing press

[quote]dacre looking like a gay pirate lol

[quote]The gangbanger beard guy looks like a douche with that shirt

[quote]Why is Dacre Montgomery showing his breast in every single interview? I mean it matches his character but it makes him look like a total moron

Just finished the 2nd season...

It wasn't terrible, but definitely not as good as the first season.

I think the biggest problem with the new season is that it felt so unfocused. Season 1 had a very clear, unwavering plot thread that tied all the episodes together: finding Will. It was the singular driving force that propelled the entire season, and every character or subplot ultimately tied back to that overarching plot point.

Season 2 was all over the place. Too many disjointed subplots and characters that did nothing to serve an underlying cohesion narrative.

You had:

Will and Shadow Monster Dustin and Dart Mullet and Sister Nancy's justice for Barb crusade Eleven's vigilante adventures Joyce and Bob's romance ...and the list goes on.

Just too many things going on.

I hated all the new characters, especially Mullet and his Fire crotch sister. Total waste of screen time that ultimately amounted to nothing, and took time away or distracted from characters we already cared about. I kept waiting to see how these two dead weights were connected to the overall plot. Maybe they were connected to Hawkins Lab conspiracy? Maybe they were experimented on like Eleven? Nope, nothing. In the end, they were just two random characters the Duffers threw in with a lame divorce backstory. Why they did is beyond me. There was no reason for these characters to be exist, plot-wise.

And yeah, the side episode with Eleven in NYC was so stupid. Badly written, badly acted and, again, completely pointless. Felt like a bad episode from the X-men cartoon series. Just another distraction away from the main plot. And the girl who plays Eleven is such a good actress, it was criminal to side-line her this whole season, which I also think hurt it terribly. You could tell they really didn't know what to do with the character this season, but omitting her from the main plot did them no favors.

All this disjointedness even made the 80s nostalgia seem heavy handed and layered on like make-up, as opposed to last season where you really felt immersed in the time period, like you were watching an actual 80s movie. This season, with the bad wigs, heavy-handed synth, and unfocused writing, it felt very much like a show pretending to be set in the 80s.

I thought Will's storyline was great, and the actor playing him did a fantastic job. That, again, should've been the focus of this season.

Was Eleven in NYC?

I think it was Chicago, near Indiana.

I get what you are saying r142, but I think a lot of that is a natural part of the show coming into its own and expanding. When you have a large ensemble cast you start giving them their own subplots and separating characters into their own little side adventures. "Game of Thrones" being the go to example of that type of storytelling. I don't think they could keep their narrative and focus that small moving forward.

[quote]Was Eleven in NYC?

It was Chicago. The show takes place in Indiana, making Chicago the go to "big city"

[quote]Though honestly I don't think the show would lose that much if Jonathan was written out.

R135 has a great point. Last season, I felt like Jonathan had the potential to be a great loner, but important/tight focus character. But he really does get lost in the smear of the ensemble of kids, especially since he has little courage and is still just a "nice guy" who cares for Will. Really Finn Wolfhard's Mike could fill that role by himself.

Plus the guy who plays Jonathan is a terrible actor. I'm kind of glad that he got sidelined with Bony Girl because it really reduced their time onscreen. I prefer Steve to the both of them. Girlfriend is giving up some nice, big D for that mopey loser - her loss. Their kiss looked so damn awkward.

The first season was great because it was new and more importantly: Unexpected. With the second season came expectations. And yeah, some were not met.

To me the shower scene was a tribute to the homoeroticism of 80s and 90s movies (like Top Gun). I don't think Mullet guy is going to be actually gay or bi. I think his story will be about standing up to his bully of a father in season 3.

I was surprised that they didn't do anything with the monsters' aversion to water. I thought the gang would flood the underground tunnels somehow. But instead they went with fire.

I was also surprised how tolerable Sean Astin was. I hated his character in The Strain. I thought they would make him some covert agent who swarmed his way into Will's family to spy on him or some other villain stuff and then caught off guard when he turned out to be a noble goofball all along.

The whole thing with the Sherrif hiding Eleven and basically keeping her safe / prisoner felt a bit creepy at times.

In episode two I had to giggle that a The Clash fan wouldn't recognize the Siouxsie Sioux goth costume. Punk vs. Post-Punk/New Wave, I guess. LOL.

Winona still overplayed her part. Maybe that's expected at his point bitching at the scientists who don't know what's going on with her son or having to make a big scene about taking upon herself to save her son's life.

Love Steve, but he seems kind of a pushover. Letting Mullet guy show him up in school and doesn't make a big scene about getting dumped by Nancy. Strangely mature. I guess that's because of the Farrah Fawcett spray ... oops!

Dustin looked like a totally different kid at the winter prom! What a different hairstyle can do to someone. Still didn't get the girl.

[quote]Winona still overplayed her part.

Very true, R148. It's like "Okay, we get it. You can do desperate/verge of tears. Give me something else!"

I'm ok with Winona's performance. Hell, if my kid had gone through what Will had, I'd be a little hysterical too.

As a superficial side note...I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed Steve's giant bulge in those tight jeans. Give me Joe Kerry over Mullet guy any day.

Also...I think they are definitely hinting that Will is gay. The subtext is all there, especially that story about him drawing his "Rainbow" spaceship. Then at the end he looked very uncomfortable when that random girl asked him to dance. Not sure if they'll ever reveal him to be, but I think we're supposed to read him that way. I do think one of the Duffer brothers is gay, and is dropping hints for us. Just my speculation.

I thought Winona was much improved this season.

Although last season, I thought Nancy was too good for Steve, in the end, it's Steve who's too good for Nancy.

I'm pretty sure Gremlins came out in 1984, and I'm sure Dustin saw it. What did he think was going to happen?

So it was basically Aliens, with Eleven playing Ellen Ripley.

Steve is probably my favorite character (and not because of his nice bulge, but that helps)--he's had the most growth. From a stereotypical douche rich kid, to a bat-wielding hero and surrogate big brother to the "gang".

[quote]To me the shower scene was a tribute to the homoeroticism of 80s and 90s movies (like Top Gun). I don't think Mullet guy is going to be actually gay or bi.

I doubt they are going to go down that route either. The basketball and shower scene was definitely homoerotic as fuck, and yes mimicking the shirts vs skins Volleyball game from "Top Gun" but I don't see a Mullet is gay plotline happening.

If a character is going to come out as gay it will probably be Will in the final season.

Because of Heathers I will be a Winona Ryder fan until the day I die. I thought her performance was more consistent this season

I still like Nancy I feel for her after all the mean things the internet has said about her. I hope she has gotten help if she needs it. Hair makeup and costumes did her no favors this season they were too worried so they just covered her up with coats.

Jonathan must have made someone mad because his storyline wasn’t very inspired. Even though Mullet looks like the hottest dreamiest gay porn star ever I don’t think he will get a gay storyline. If they release his audition video of him dancing in a g string I would be very happy. He makes me even more excited for ST 3.

It is funny Walking Dead has a bat swinging villain no one likes ST has a bat swinging hero everyone loves. I didn’t even notice his bulge but this season I got on the Steve bandwagon. I don’t think the show will ever have nudity or gay content but if Will comes out and the gang support it will be a very positive message.

Didn't the sheriff have a brief nude ass shot in the first season (when he was introduced)? Or did that just happen in a dream of mine?

What was missing this season was a compelling villain. The shadow monster was "just" ominous. I thought there wasn't a big enough (feel-good) pay-off of the splintered groups finally re-uniting after being apart from each other for most of the season. Steve as the babysitter was the best thing this season imho (well, apart from Billy, Mullet Guy - the douchebag you love to hate and gawk at). That and Dustin and Lucas competing over Max's affection and the scene of Will's relatives and friends reminding him about special moments with him.

I didn’t think about until it was over but yeah they needed a Matthew Modine like villain not a CGI monster alone I was still satisfied.

I got the feeling The Brothers did listen to fan feedback so I hope ST 3 will be better. We just have to wait a damn year.

Speaking of human villains a nice little touch The Brothers had in the first but was missing in 2. There was a middle aged woman villain who looked like an Avon Lady from hell some might even say a frau. She really do much just stand around with the bad guys until she was killed it was a very nice touch.

I hope Lucas sister and Dustin’s mother have a bigger role in 3.

They say they still aren't sure how many seasons, though it will be at least four

And that they expect to explore more of Eleven's "family" like Kelli

[quote]"We don't actually know," Ross told us at the season two premiere. "I think, you know, four to five seasons is likely where we'll end up, but who knows? I mean, none of this official, and we know where we want to go. We're trying to figure out still how long it'll take to get there, so we'll see." "It's hard, like four seems short, five seems long," Matt added. "So I don't know what to do." As for what we might see in those future seasons, get ready to meet some more of Eleven's unconventional family, according to executive producer Shawn Levy. "I think we've clearly implied there are other numbers, and I can't imagine that the world will only ever know Eleven and Eight."

I’m personally not thrilled about the idea of meeting other “numbers”. I’d hate for this show to diverge too far from their current cast or spend too much time on transient character backstories just for the sake of churning out more episodes. More isn’t always better and if they feel that they’ve sufficiently told this story with the current characters then they should end the show while they’re ahead.

I'd imagine a future number would come to Hawkins and end up causing trouble. You need sources of conflict.

I sure hope the show doesn't go The Avengers route and assemble a group of numbers to assist the core gang, because that will sidline the core gang even more by spending so much time on introducing and establishing these new characters with their supernatural abilities.

I hope it doesn't go off the rails they way so many of these do. The Misfits, Heroes, etc.

It will very easily go off the rails if they lean into what happened in the Chicago episode and turn the show into the X-Men with Eleven as Jean Grey.

They need to finish the Hawkins story and then find something else set somewhere else. I'm not saying turn it into AHS, but they need to stick with Heroes' original plan, and replace the cast every so often.

I'm wondering how much more they can do in Hawkins. How many times is Eleven going to save the day from the Upside Down terrors?

This series is so enjoyable. Maybe its not brilliant but I think the art direction is very refined. The colours are so fantastic. I love the score and the occasional period tune as well.

r165. I wouldn't be surprised if they do a whole summer-camp season showing that the Upside Down can be a threat everywhere.

sorry but i liked the Chicago episode, it was a little rushed though, too much info for one episode. Loved the girl with the flyswatter. that was a cool touch.

The forced quirks on Kali/Eight's gang was just too much.

I think I would have liked the subplot more if it had either come at a different place in the season, or been broken up across several episodes. I understand why it had to happen, because Kali's whole "Let the hate flow through you" was the reason why El was able to close the gate to the Upside Down, but we got what was probably the season's best cliffhanger at the episode before, and then it came to a screeching halt. It's just that the stuff with Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Max at the junkyard while Mike, Will, Joyce, Hopper, and Bob were at the lab was SOOOOO good, and then....full stop.

El's "But I can save them" was lovely, though.

I wasn't crazy about Jonathan and Nancy's roadtrip either.

I just like spending 9 hours with the characters. Mullet (GRRR), Max, dustin’s Mom and Lucas sister were a welcome addition.

[quote]I wasn't crazy about Jonathan and Nancy's roadtrip either.

I liked it because of Brett Gelman's character and the meta (people too desperate to believe what they're being told by authority figures even nowdays!) "watering down" conclusion of their scheme to bring down the science lab.

[quote]I hated all the new characters, especially Mullet and his Fire crotch sister. Total waste of screen time that ultimately amounted to nothing

Total waste? But what about the eye candy factor?!

This season was crap. And where the hell was Barb??

Did you miss her decaying body in season one r173? We knew she was dead.

Barb's dead. One story arc of this season was dedicated to "Justice for Barb".

She was only dead in the Upside Down. They could bring her back if they wanted to.

r176, What. The. Fuck?

Hasn't the actress already moved on to another show? Pretty amazing that she was a local hire in Atlanta when she got the Barb gig and just out of high school. Good for her.

You start undoing character deaths and death becomes meaningless.

They unambiguously showed Barb was dead to the audience, I'm glad they didn't walk that back just because she was well liked.

[quote]Hasn't the actress already moved on to another show?

She has the recurring role of Ethel Muggs on Riverdale.

Which even worked in a #JusticeForEthel joke with remarkable alacrity.

Can one skip the Chicago episode and still follow the plot in subsequent episodes?

You could if you really wanted to, but really, there are only 9 episodes to watch and episode 7 is the shortest one.

His constantly half-naked turn on Stranger Things has been great for Mullet/Dacre.

Number 5 on imdb having risen 1300 fuckin spots.

Re: r180,

She’s becoming the Edie McClurg of the new millennium.

[quote]You could if you really wanted to, but really, there are only 9 episodes to watch and episode 7 is the shortest one.

It sure as hell didn't feel like it was the shortest.

[quote]She’s becoming the Edie McClurg of the new millennium.

If anything, that's the actress who played Dustin's mother.

I had to google Edie McClurg. Who knew eldergays are into Stranger Things?

Considering it's overflowing with Gen X cultural signifiers...

I’m 38, r187. I thought I had a few more years before reaching “eldergay” status! Yikes.

Honestly the comment doesn't really work even as a joke.

"Stranger Things" isn't some obscure, underground show that only certain people would know about. It is a massive phenomenon. I remember seeing it broke twitter records this weekend.

[quote]Can one skip the Chicago episode and still follow the plot in subsequent episodes?

Eleven gets some training to prepare for her big moment in the finale. Without watching the episode I could see people complaining "she could do that all along?" .

[quote]I’m 38, [R187]. I thought I had a few more years before reaching “eldergay” status! Yikes.

I turn 40 next year. I'm already calling myself an eldergay in my head.

I'd say 50 is eldergay.

If you think about it, 18-49 is the demo that matters. That is what is tracked, that is what the entertainment industry cares about.

Then once you turn 50 you might as well be dead to them because they no longer care.

Fun times in an elevator.

Aren't we old souls the moment we say our first "bitch, please!" ?

Thanks for that r194.

Now they should revisit that with Joe Keery and Dacre

Great interview with Joe Keery.

Parts you bitches will be most interested in

[quote]About the shower scene that your character had with Billy: Do you feel like he was hitting on you? It’s kind of like this homoerotic sort of vibe. Especially with the basketball scene, it totally reminds me of a Top Gun volleyball competition sort of thing. I don’t know if that’s what the Duffers intended, but it’s interesting that people are gleaning that from it. There may be a grain of truth in that, although we didn’t talk about it. But I think that all of those ’80s things have that sort of influence potentially, so, yeah, I don’t know. We’ll see. I think maybe we’ll touch upon that next year.

[quote]Was it hard to run around in the jeans that you wore? Because they seemed very tight. Yes. I will say, yes. It felt like Bruce Springsteen jeans or something like that. [bold]I don’t know if you could tell, but the entire railroad track scene, I’m bunching at the crotch extremely.[/bold] They’re like Dennis Quaid in Breaking Away sort of jeans. But you know, I think it’s the style for the time period. It was pretty funny. They weren’t super uncomfortable. It definitely could have been worse. I could have been wearing something horrible. For the most part, the costume that I wore this year I was super into, especially for all of the action stuff. It actually wasn’t as tight as they looked. And I wear pretty tight jeans in real life. But the fact that they’re Wranglers, like actually really tight Wranglers, it’s not that elastic sort of jean you have nowadays. It’s like denim. It’s like you’re in a glove.

Yes, we definitely noticed.

Was ill over the weekend so binge watched it. Perfect tv for that.

Enjoyed it but they nearly lost me with the Chicago sequence. Unbelievable, laughable cartoon characters. All that insipid punk-lite nonsense. None of them looked like they would actually hang out together. Though Hopper does make the remark about El looking like an MTV punk so perhaps it was a little bit of an ( unfortunate ) in-joke. Still seemed like she walked into a totally different show though. Good to see Kai Greene getting acting work however and he did good with what he was given.

There were parts where I drifted but if David Harbour was in the scene I was happy. Sexy man, particularly because he isn’t all gym body and over-primped.

Not as good as the first series and they will need to pull out all the stops for the next ( if we’re all still around to see it ) but it was welcome, feel good binge watch tv.

Is anyone having trouble with 194 link to work? Can someone repost it?

I think they should've kept the story in Hawkins. They jumped the shark way too soon in introducing other "Elevens". The opening scene of season 2, with the Indian girl and misfits running from the cops, should've been the cliffhanger exit into Season 3.

I think the Duffers missed a huge opportunity with Will being possessed.

They could've extended that outward to the whole town, and write the season around the residents of Hawkins becoming possessed by the upside down. I honestly thought that was the direction they were headed after Will barfed up that slug last season.

Having the residents of the town taken over would've been a great homage to the late 70s/early 80s sci-fi horror remakes like "Invasion of the body snatchers" and "Invaders from Mars."

That would've been a clear, singular plot point to build the season and existing characters around, and could've been amazingly suspenseful, watching Eleven and the gang try to escape and undo this "invasion" and save the town.

Write your own series, hon.

Here is a youtube link r199.

Episode 7 Eleven had a few good moments. She couldn’t be a cold hearted killed and when she realized her Aunt was a rat and when she realized she needed to go home. Her hair and makeup didn’t look as silly as the so called pinks.

Eleven looked like a young Lena Dunham in some scenes in and after the Chicago episode.

I think having them vs the entire town would be going a little too big for season 2, that is like a final season plotline r200.

As others have said what made the show such a success is how it came out of nowhere with no expectations, no name creators and nearly a no-name cast.

Obviously to return for Season 2 they now have expectations. I think they handled it well, it wasn't perfect, but it maintained the quality of the first season (which itself was more flawed than some people want to acknowledge).

[quote]Eleven looked like a young Lena Dunham

Do I need to cut a bitch...?

Millie is easy on the eyes while Lena isn’t.

I keep waiting for someone to post a screen cap of the bulging jeans, but you guys keep letting me down.

Come on!

[quote]“Most of the cast and crew were out of town for Thanksgiving, but I was in Atlanta, which is a long way from Perth, so I couldn’t go home,” Montgomery says. “The two Duffer brothers and their partners invited me around. The five of us spent Thanksgiving together, discussing that scene and what music we could put to that opening.”

Ross Duffer has a girlfriend/wife, but Matt Duffer ....? No one knows. Has kept it very lowkey, and Dacre does use a gender-neutral word.

Continuing to build a case for my pet theory that Matt Duffer is gay.

Lens is delighted to be compared to Millie, she is jumping up and down squeeing right this moment.

You misspelled squealing*

They way Dacre was photographed/directed was without a doubt done by a gay man. Did the Duffers direct the shower scene?

The episode with the shower (#4) was written by them but not directed by them.

The Duffers directed eps 1, 2, 8, 9 this season.

[quote]You start undoing character deaths and death becomes meaningless.

You know nothing.

squee skwē/Submit informal verb gerund or present participle: squeeing squeal in delight or excitement. "I squeed like a 14-year-old fangirl when I found out"

It was a just a little joke referring to squealing like a pig r215.

And let's be real, Jon Snow's death and resurrection in the show felt like a meaningless stunt. Though I think GRRM will handle it better in the books (if they ever come out...)

sorry, R216, i get it now.

I watched all of Season 1 for the first time on Saturday. Then I watched Season 2 on Sunday. I have a feeling that 008 and Billy will have bigger roles in Season 3...because their characters were underused in Season 2. Perhaps 008 comes to draft 011 into her crimes and maybe Billy falls for her. 011 will probably eventually have to kill 008 to stop her from committing evil acts. But what about the Upside Down World? Do you mean after all that running around in the lab and finally closing the gate that the Upside Down world still hasn't been sealed? How will they come back? Hopper had eels in his mouth, similar to how Will had eels suffocating him before his mother found him and rescued him. So maybe Hopper will have the virus now?

I don't think that Will or any other character will be gay. But in Season 1, episode 1 or 2, his mom tells Hopper don't bother calling Will's dad, because Will's dad has bullied the boy, calling him homophobic slurs (e.g. "queer").

I have a question...Is Matthew Modine the father of 008 and Eleven? Did he impregnate them during the drug trials? I guess that's why they would be sisters. Or are they sisters because they were raised together in the lab, but they have different bio dads?

The mullet guy was dreamy, beautiful eyes and long eyelashes. He might get killed off next season.

[quote]I have a question...Is Matthew Modine the father of 008 and Eleven? Did he impregnate them during the drug trials?

Possibly. That has never been confirmed.

[quote]Do you mean after all that running around in the lab and finally closing the gate that the Upside Down world still hasn't been sealed? How will they come back? Hopper had eels in his mouth, similar to how Will had eels suffocating him before his mother found him and rescued him. So maybe Hopper will have the virus now?

Both Hopper and Dustin inhaled stuff from the vines. I am sure they plan on that being important.

[quote] Do you mean after all that running around in the lab and finally closing the gate that the Upside Down world still hasn't been sealed?

We saw the "Mindflayer" was still out there, so they are still going to have to deal with it.

Honestly, I hope they don't deal with it i season 3. We've had enough of the Upside Down for now, and this season was in many ways a retread of the last season in that respect.

But that is the entire premise of the show r222, that they opened a portal to the upside down and dealing with those ramifications.

What happens in the Upside Down stays in the Upside Down. Unless there's a gate/portal that's open, the Shadow Monster can't get to them.

Speaking of...can someone fucking explain the upside down to me?

Yeah, I get that it's a mirror world of our own--only darker--hence the blue and black filters and crud growing on everything.

But like, who inhabits this world? It literally has all the same buildings and structures as our world, but who uses them? So far only the Shadow monster and Demogorgon creatures roam this place. But why do these creatures need a school gym, a library, or an arcade?

If it's a mirror world, shouldn't there be mirror opposites of the characters--like an evil doppelgänger--living in it?

Or, are the monsters just metaphors--physicals manifestations of our darker thoughts and impulses?

If it were another dimension, filled with creatures from their own ecosystem bleeding into our world due to an open portal, like in "The Mist," that would make more sense to me, but I'm confused what the actual concept is surround the upside down.

Anyone care to enlighten?

For those who wanted to see Joe Keery's bulge while walking in tight jeans, check out the video between about the 0:50 and 3:15 marks. In the interview above Joe commented how the jeans kept riding up into his crotch during this scene.

r225, It's not fully explained on the show, but it's "just" a random paralell universe Eleven opened a portal to when she enountered the Demagorgon the first time. Will mentioned in this season that when he was in the Upside Down seeing the shadow monster he was frozen in fear. The Upside Down is more about the emotional state of fear and dread than having an actual purpuse of being habitable by bizarre mirror versions of humans in the real world (for now, who knows what the Durrell brothers have in mind for future seasons?). To me it's like giving these human, emotional states a place to thrive and prosper and to get ready for, well, something.

All I (think I) know is that the Upside Down is another dimension that Eleven was somehow able to access using her powers. Then she created a gate when she encountered a demagorgon.

r228. Those are two different realms or dimensions. One is what Eleven uses her power to locate far away people and the other one is the Upside Down. Notice that one is just black and minimalist while the other one is a dark, grisly, rotting version of the real world.

r228, my apologies I misread your post.

I loved the exchange between Mike's mom and Billy. He looked so hot and charming. That actor is definitely going to get more roles from this show. He kinda stole the show this season. I'm also in love with Joe Keery now.

Basically, the "Upsidedown" is a parallel dimension/world where the shadow monster invaded and destroyed everything and killed everyone. And now he's trying to make it into the next dimension, our own.

[quote] Joe Keery's bulge

I remember when bulges were bulgy.

Thanks, R226, but I guess I'm just not seeing it. Mostly he has the bucket in front hiding anything, and the few moments he doesn't, it just looks like fabric bunching up, not anything sexy or enticing.

Billy's butt

He's cute. He's got an old fashioned silent movie star kind of face. Does he have a double row of lashes.

He has a sort of wide, flattish butt.

Dacre says he doesn't see Billy as racist or gay.

The gay part, okay fine, although I disagree with him.

The racist part, however...

Also, even if the Duffer Bros hadn't intended people to read Billy as gay, I wonder if the fact that people did might make them switch lanes for the next season. They didn't expect the internet's reaction to Barb, and ended up making her a huge part of this season to bring some closure to her story.

I just finished it. I think it probably should have been one or maybe even two episodes less. I didn’t like the demadog concept at all, it just felt like sequilitus. The more intriguing concept of the smoke monster was largely overshadowed for repeats of the “trapped in a closed facility with monsters” trope.

I thought Sean Astin was absolutely horrible, it was like he had never acted before. I liked seeing Paul Reiser but was disappointed his character wasn’t evil, and didn’t have much to do in the end. I also felt Dacre Montgomery wasn’t given enough to do.

The kids are all phenomenal, I liked Mike less this season but Dustin and Lucas were phenomenal, and Max was a great find. I didn’t care for Nancy and Jonathan this season. Steve is really becoming a future star.

[quote]The more intriguing concept of the [bold]smoke monster [/bold]was largely overshadowed for repeats of the “trapped in a closed facility with monsters” trope.

Smoke Monster = LOST

Shadow Monster = Stranger Things

It’s a monster made of smoke

r421, no, it isn't.

Yes it is

[quote]Speaking of...can someone fucking explain the upside down to me?

Leslie Jones can

Does anyone else feel Steve should have died at the end of this season? I felt his character arc was complete.

Does Finn present hole?

If next season will gets repossessed or something to that vein then I'm out, this season didn't have much new concepts from season 1. Nothing about this season was a risk. Eleven phoenixing out was also lame. There's only one jean grey and she is fierce.

The set up a couple of thing. "Papa" being alive, for one.

They set up a couple of things. "Papa" being alive, for one.

Sorry for the typos.

This may be not be a prevalent sentiment, but I liked season 2 better than season 1. I think it avoided the second season pitfalls very well, while further developing and capitalizing on the best aspects and characters from the first season.

The demodogs didn't give me the uneasyness like the demogorgon did, the dogs were so unoriginal.

Yeah, I felt Phoenix!Eleven wasn't earned at all. She's gone the whole season, then suddenly comes back and, wha-la, closes the portal and saves everyone.

Totally undermines any tension to what should've been an amazing moment.

I'm really trying not to pick season 2 apart, because I did like some things, but overall, the more I re-visit my thoughts on it, the more the writing it falls apart.

I like how R252’s last paragraph rhymes.

R251 it reminded me of how the xenomorph in Alien3 (also dog-inspired) was not as horrifying as the human-born xenomorph from the first two Alien films

I think the homoerotic angle is pretty interesting. I mean, are there movies, with that 80s retro feel, dealing and exploring further the whole homoerotic angle from movies in that era beyond making fun of it? The only thing that comes to mind is the Stranger Things ripoff episode form Dimension 404.

Warning, link leads to review of the episode Polybius (of Hulu's Dimension 404) which gives away major spoilers.

Can we discuss whether the series deserves its stellar reputation? After having watched season one, I feel like this show only deserves high marks in an entertainment desert. The story was interesting until the slimy wall monster showed up, and then it plummeted to an X-Files filler episode level. Or maybe one of those smart X-Files parody-comedy episodes, except without realizing it should be a comedy. Good ingredients, really dumb realization of its premise IMO.

I think this is mostly a genre exercise. I like it a lot.

To piggyback what R247 said, I would point out that the reason Season 1 was so effective was that they did take risks like killing off Barb. I did not feel any of the main cast was in danger in this season, you could sort of tell that Sean Astin was going to be be the one to die, I thought Paul Reiser might die or Dacre too and they didn't. It was just too "play it safe" and that diminished the risk and reward.

...The reason Game of Thrones has been as successful for so long is because they regularly killed off central characters. You need that tension.

...even the 80s books and films they are pastiching would have put the characters in more danger. Stephen King would have killed off the adorable little sister of Lucas.

The show's main appeal is the retro feeling. Killing off main characters, for shock value, is a modern day TV show thing. This wasn't done in the 80s. It's like complaining that the show doesn't feel fresh, because it doesn't use modern day props. I don't think the show's intention is to put a full on modern day spin on 80s action / adventure / fantasy / horror movies and compromise its 80s feel.

[quote]Killing off main characters, for shock value, is a modern day TV show thing. This wasn't done in the 80s.

Bish plee

Game of Thrones introduced the no-one-is-too-important-to-avoid-consequences aspect of dramatic storytelling that made it exceptional. And then others emulated it. And others emulated it and then violated it by killing characters and then cheating the death and then reviving the dead person or people. American Horror Story stopped being scary and stopped being worth watching in the Coven season when half the witches were killed by the end, and all of them were still alive despite having been killed. Then Jon Snow was “killed” only to be predictably Jesus-resurrected, which was perhaps forgivable given that he was clearly made to emulate and even resemble Jesus Christ. But now GoT has full-on violated the standard it set for itself, with Jamie Lannister suffering a certain death by drowning and inexplicably swimming miles off camera in heavy armor with one hand only to pop up fresh as a daisy on the safe side of a lake, and countless characters in certain-death situations surviving without scratches last season. The commitment to life-or-death stakes in entertainment isn’t maintainable even for the series that raised the bar on dramatic storytelling.

I was born in 1978 and even growing up in the 80s, I don’t recall any delusions that 80s entertainment was very well done. All my life I actually considered the 80s to be a low point in film and television, with countless women-in-peril suspense movies, formulaic, mindless sitcoms, etc. Fatal Attraction was among the most memorable of the era and it isn’t a good movie if we are being objective. John Hughes movies get a lot of credit, and it’s a lot more than it deserves IMO. I just googled “best 80s movies,” and almost all the “best” movies are the best among uncreative least-common-denominator pop films. ET is one. I can give it some credit, but Spielberg’s direction in almost everything feels formulaic and emotionally pandering to me. Dirty Dancing, Pretty In Pink, Flashdance, Top Gun...? Not a great entertainment era. Even a serious movie like Platoon was 80s-glossy. Kubrick released Full Metal Jacket and The Shining in the 80s, so I can give it that. But mostly the 80s gave us Risky Business, Cocktail, Working Girl, and endless teen sex comedies. Shitty decade all around.

Five of AFI’s top 100 movies were released in the 1980s. The whole Stranger-Things-is-good-BECAUSE-it-emulates-an-80s-movie theory is based on highly questionable logic.

The 80s are remembered for its pop entertainments, not for its groundbreaking filmmaking.

[quote]Can we discuss whether the series deserves its stellar reputation?

"Stranger Things" is one of my [italic]favorite[/italic] shows I watch, but I have never considered it one of the [italic]best[/italic] shows I watch.

And that is perfectly okay.

R267 I get that. That makes sense to me. People in my office discuss it as a brilliant, thrilling, unpredictable and imaginative series. That does not make sense to me. But only because it is none of those things.

But if your favorite dessert is a Slurped, I don’t begrudge you that.

*Slurpee

I thought the Ghostbusters suits were totally wasted. And why the hell did Nancy and Steve go to Barb's parent's house to eat food? A total waste of screen time. The writing this season was just not up to par.

[quote]The gay part, okay fine, although I disagree with him. The racist part, however...

Yeah, to me it was just a clear case of the actor seeing the good in their character, which is what actors always do.

To me Billy's line read as racist, and more importantly I think Billy's should be read racist. It is silly to think the fact Lucas is black is something that no one will care about or bring up, the world doesn't work that way that now, and that was especially fuckin true in this time period.

Tom&Lorenzo are calling the Billy scenes "salutes to ’80s teen flick homoeroticism" which makes me think he's actually straight. And I hate that.

Are either of the Duffers gay?

Nancy and Steve go see Barb's parents out of respect, kindness and community solidarity. Its a sort of charity visit. That's the way neighbourhoods used to work, you know.

That scene was important for their plot. It shows why they want to get Justice for Barb, her parents are still going crazy over her disappearance and they deserve closure.

[quote]Nancy and Steve go see Barb's parents out of respect, kindness and community solidarity. Its a sort of charity visit. That's the way neighbourhoods used to work, you know.

Ok, I don't want Hallmark. I want sci-fi and horror. Which we could have got if they had brought back Barb. Either the original Barb or the Upside Down Barb.

When the show turned into a BAD Stephen King movie in episode 9 I realized I had just spent 8 hours watching pure crap. I fastforwarded through the rest of the episode, and then through the finale as well. In the end I felt I hadn't missed a thing. I won't be returning next year.

BTW, those dogs with flower heads were probably the most unimaginative monsters I've seen in a long time. And the CGI on them was just awful.

I bet your meal tonight was pure shit, as well, R277.

R278, no, I rather enjoyed it. Even though I can't say Stranger Things has ever been my favorite show as an 80s child I absolutely enjoyed seeing my childhood come alive onscreen. I did like the first few episodes but something just started going wrong at some point, and it really culminated in episode 9 which was a series low in almost every way. To be honest I probably got pissed off when the word faggot was used in a show that quite probably has tons of kids watching it. It was all dowhill after that, and during the episode 9 I just realized I'm not buying anything I'm seeing anymore. The show lost its credibility and unfortunately it's extremely hard for a show to become watchable again after that.

I wonder if the demo-dogs were inspired by this.

More like these guys in keeping with the GB theme.

The flower design of the heads is a lot like that scene from The Thing.

[quote] Does anyone else feel Steve should have died at the end of this season? I felt his character arc was complete.

No, Steve was great this season. I liked his scenes with the kids. If they want to kill some main characters off, they are welcome to end ugly, anorexic Nancy's run on the show. She can take her coke-snorting dirty rag boyfriend with her.

[quote]When the show turned into a BAD Stephen King movie

Are there any good Stephen King movies?

R284 The shining?

Good Stephen King movies include "Stand By Me" and "The Shawshank Redemption" and probably "The Green Mile".

There's no good HORROR move based on a Stephen King work though, imho.

Dolores Claiborne. Pet Sematary.

"The Mist" was also great.

And, hello, "Misery" also.

There's been lots of great adaptations of his work. He really is a great writer. So many interesting stories he's written.

I noticed Mullet clearly didn't know how to smoke cigs in the first couple of episodes, which he admits a later director finally taught him how to smoke correctly.

And surprised they smoke real cigs and not those fake ones.

Billy was a waste of space. If he wasn't hot (and I don't think he was, but all of you are swooning like you're in heat), then none of you would be praising him. Shitty character and shitty actor.

I wondered if perhaps Mike's reduced role this season was to give Finn Wolfhard time off to shoot It.

Nancy and Jonathan are two of the dullest characters (and actors around). Get rid of them.

Winona was definitely better this season. She had a few cringeworthy moments, but she also had some strong moments. Last season she was an embarrassment every time she was onscreen.

As big of a waste of space and screen time as Billy was, his step-sister was fantastic.

Glad to see Lucas and Will can actually act. Last season we didn't get to see much of them.

The Chicago episode was a POS, and the "gang" was so ludicrous it felt like they would have been more at home on an episode of "Manimal."

I found it interesting how much bigger MBB got (in terms of aging/growing) than the boys did. They felt believably 1 year older but she went through a real spurt and it was funny to watch them try and hide it.

Joe Keery is really talented, and I'm guessing the Duffer Bros realized what they had with him and that's why they didn't kill him off. Still, would have really liked to have seen more of him (because he is so talented).

How many movie homages did you all count this season? I came up with at least 10, from The Thing to Aliens to Jurassic Park to Gremlins and beyond.

R290 She's a brit, they age in dog years.

I agree the Chicago episode was weakest, but to me it came across as an homage to the Shadowrun role-playing game system between the wardrobe, group composition, plot and setting. The main Stranger Things setting has a strong Dungeons and Dragons motif and Chicago was a way for Eleven to have her own party for a while this season albeit in a different game universe (and one that didn't debut until 1989 at that).

I liked It. Did anyone say Carrie?

I was going through my old EW with ST on cover. They had a picture of Mullet with wrong name.

Hollywood Accolades for Stranger Things 2:

Gripping story, great performances, and a lot of cute guys!

--- Kevin Spacey

I hated Lucas last season.

I loved him this season.

Yes the actor playing Lucas vastly improved between seasons and shows potential star magnetism.

I also asked that question r273. No one knows. Mullet had Thanksgiving with The Brothers and said they were with their ‘partner ‘. When Mullet was talking on Beyond the brother e suspect is gay was giving a secret look to the gay host.

Sure there was flaws but ST entertained me more than any TV series I watched and that includes GOT.

[quote]Mullet had Thanksgiving with The Brothers and said they were with their ‘partner ‘.

Meaning the twins were with each other.

I also liked Gerald’s Game on Netflix.

[quote] Yes the actor playing Lucas vastly improved between seasons and shows potential star magnetism.

To be fair, they gave Lucas virtually nothing to do in Season 1. He was just there. But he certainly rose to the challenge this season and was quite good. All the kids are good. If only they'd cast the teenagers with such care. Steve is the only one they got right.

I didn’t like it when Steve was getting the crap beat out of him and only Max did something about it.

I don’t get the argument about Ghostbusters. Did Lucas not want to be Ernie Hudson. Did political correctness exist in the 80s? What was wrong with saying Lucas you should be him because you are black?

[quote]The actress was great, hope they give her a little more to do in season 3.

It took me a minute to realize Dustin's mom used to play a prison guard on Orange Is The New Black

[quote]The demodogs didn't give me the uneasyness like the demogorgon did

That damn "polywog" gave me the creeps and scared me from the get go

A small town in Indiana in the 80s would NEVER have let a white girl dance with a black boy.

Here's a question: In season 1, when Joyce was using the christmas-light-bulb ouija board to talk to Will, Will warns her to run, and then a monster breaks through the wall into the living room? Why couldn't Will also run through that portal back to his living room?

R301 Lucas says winston isn't funny, isn't a scientist, and joined the team late- that's why he didn't want to be him.

Winston was lame

And he (or mike) didn't want to be a lame character

It was a brilliant metacommentary on the token black character

I feel the same as R277. I don’t begrudge anyone who likes corny, thoughtless horror. I know lots of people do. But how the marketing of this show ever convinced people it’s brilliant and deserves to be a word-of-mouth classic is way beyond me. It isn’t close to that good.

Apparently The Stranger Things kids (particularly Finn), have been getting some creepy sexual attention

Yeah, Millie Bobby Brown got voted Sexiest Celebrity on some poll, and she's 13! Internet creeps have no shame. She does dress and act sophisticated for her age, but in no way does she come across as sexy. It reminds me of when Reddit pervs obsessed over an underaged Emma Watson for years.

Who the fuck's looking at kids when there's hot ass chubby Hopper running around?

I hope we've seen the last of eight's ridiculous gang. Mohawk man was particularly stupid. I didn't mind the deviation for one episode, but no more please.

I wouldn't mind seeing Eight again. But definitely not her compatriots.

To me it is just funny because one of the primary roles of the Mullet character is to be eye-candy, they constantly filmed him sexualized as hell (which we responded too), but to the creepers I guess he isn't young enough.

[quote]I wouldn't mind seeing Eight again. But definitely not her compatriots.

Stranger Things doesn't have that many episodes, given we got an episode devoted to Eight I feel like she has to show up again. But yes, she doesn't need her ridiculous circus gang.

[quote]I wouldn't mind seeing Eight again. But definitely not her compatriots.

That was clearly a "Firestarter" like setup for next season when they will likely attempt to find out about this program that Eight and Eleven were a part of. Eleven can find "her sister" wherever she is in the future.

The episode was extremely out of place and the things Eleven learned about her powers and her past should have been better integrated into the season and the introduction to Eight's gang should have been saved for next season.

Seeing the actress interviewed and how thirsty she is ruined El for me

El also has a super thirsty stage parent.

Millie has a dadager who is kris kardashian like.

I think Millie is homely though her looks work for the part of El

She looks fine. The homely one is Jonathan. What an uggo!

Yeah, Charlie Heaton should make up for his looks by being compelling. He hasn’t risen to the challenge.

I mean he’s a twink, so I wouldn’t kick him out of bed or anything, but he needs to try harder.

I don't think Eleven or Jane was sidelined this season. She got her own plot. If anyone was sidelined, it was Mike. Wasn't he the leader of the kids in Season 1?

Has anyone watched that interminably awful chat show, Beyond Stranger Things? Everyone talks over each other and you have the odious host Jim Rash queening it up in the corner, and the chinless wonder-hack Shawn Levy bogarding the entire show.

The Duffer Brothers are cute as hell, though.

R234 Yeah I watched the entire season, and am also very attracted to Steve, and did not notice anything.

Mike was probably too busy filming It.

I stayed up most of the night binge watching all the episodes of season 2 and when the Beyond Stranger Things r325 came up on my screen afterwards I didn't bother to watch because I had to go to sleep. I watch The Walking Dead but I don't care much for Talking Dead so I was leery.

I noticed this time around Millie is being interviewed separately on talk shows like Tonight Show which kind of turns me off, but I guess kudos to her management.

I feel like those after-show talk things are usually lowest common denominator appeal and rarely have interesting discussion.

The main problem I had with the season was how various plotlines took so many detours instead of resolving themselves in a natural way. Hopper was the most problematic for me. I didn't like Hopper's character essentially taking Eleven hostage. It just didn't jive well with his character. Secondly, the road trip with Jonathan and Nancy was odd as having government officials shut down or investigate the lab could have been a disaster as no one but Paul Reiser and his team knew how to deal with the creatures from the upside down. How did Paul Reiser escape persecution anyway? Wouldn't he be incriminated in a criminal investigation? It just seemed like a hare brained scheme by Nancy, even though her intentions were good.

Lastly, if Hopper knew of Eleven's wherabouts the whole time, why didn't she get involved much sooner? She did banish the creatures before, why not enlist her again? Why did Hopper insist on investigating it alone? The entire sequence where Joyce uses Will's painting to track down the Hub could have been completely eliminated if all Hopper did was inform them where he was going instead of just getting up and leaving on his own.

Eleven's whole side plot never really went anywhere since after tracking down her sister, she then decides to come back home. I guess they could still develop that story in future seasons, but it just feels like something they did just to keep her occupied.

Lastly, why would Nancy dump Steve for Jonathan? Steve is pretty much perfect.

Steve was an asshole last season. He seems to have come out a better person this year.

And Jonathan is U-G-L-Y

Jonathan is hideous as fuck, has the personality of a corpse and looks 40. His hair is thinning, too.

[quote]Lastly, why would Nancy dump Steve for Jonathan? Steve is pretty much perfect.

Watch season 1 again, yes they made Steve super likable in Season 2 but originally his character was more of a dick.

[quote] How did Paul Reiser escape persecution anyway?

I laughed at that as well, it was his voice on the tape. He would have been the first to go down.

[quote]why didn't she get involved much sooner?

Because they didn't want her to.

[quote] Watch season 1 again, yes they made Steve super likable in Season 2 but originally his character was more of a dick.

But Nancy was already back with him at the end of Season 1. It was just bad storytelling.

I mean they gave an in-story reason for the break up, Steve was actively against getting closure for Barb's death whereas Nancy cared passionately about it.

It seemed like Steve was trying (and failing, but trying any way) to move on, and Nancy was stuck.

I went from "Nancy's too good for Steve" to "Steve's too good for Nancy" in about three episodes this season.

Frankly, Jonathan's too good for her too.

I don't mind Nancy, but WTF with her parents not caring she leaves for days at a time?!

And they seem to be comfortable financially, upper middle class. For godsakes why dont they buy her a car?

[quote]I don't mind Nancy, but WTF with her parents not caring she leaves for days at a time?!

She is like 16-17. It was weirder how apathetic they were about wondering where Will was.

For all of Dacre's talk about wearing a g-string for his Stranger Things audition, in the tape that is released there is no g-string. Don't know if it was edited out, or is he supposedly wearing a g-string below frame that no one can even see.

So yeah it is "released", but boring and completely unworthy of all the talk.

[quote] So yeah it is "released", but boring and completely unworthy of all the talk.

Kind of like Dacre himself.

Alright, I laughed hard at that r341 and I've posted a lot about Dacre.

I completely get you, but you can't be surprised gay men were intrigued by his character. I mean in a show that doesn't normally go for eye-candy, he was always on camera looking straight off the set of a gay porno.

[R333] This. I was SHOCKED to find out the actor was only 23! Why on Earth are the bags under his eyes as awful as they are at 23. I guess the cocaine thing makes iit all make sense now. Are they what shot his looks or has he always looked like this?

Well, and he's British. You know how they do.

Also, he's from the North. That's a double-whammy.

[quote]Why on Earth are the bags under his eyes as awful as they are at 23. I guess the cocaine thing makes iit all make sense now.

I hate to break it to you but practically everyone in the entertainment industry at least dabbles with coke.

R345 I'm sure they do but I still think he's far too young to have bags like that. Even RDJ never looked as bad in his drug days as this kid does. Again, i can't believe he;s only 23.

R342 His body is ok, but I just can't get over his hair. It just cancels out EVERYTHING else hot about him.

[quote] I completely get you, but you can't be surprised gay men were intrigued by his character. I mean in a show that doesn't normally go for eye-candy, he was always on camera looking straight off the set of a gay porno.

Nope, I'm not shocked at all, and it's fine. Personally, I think they (the Duffers, Shawn Levy, etc.) failed with Billy on all fronts (except for the gay eye candy one, I guess). The character was pointless and the actor himself was unable to overcome the thinness of the writing. Personally, I didn't need any eye candy in Stranger Things because it's not that kind of show, but if I had to pick someone, I think Steve fills that category. And I've said before, Joe Keery was able to take a thin character like Steve (in Season 1) and imbue him with something that made you like him and pay attention to him in the way that I felt Dacre Montgomery couldn't.

While I certainly enjoyed this season, it did feel like the creators were throwing a lot against the window to see what would stick. Not surprising, as it feels like perhaps the DB were unclear on where the show was going after Season 1 and perhaps got taken by surprise with the success and the rapid need to come up with a 2nd season. I definitely feel like this is what happened with OITNB, and they completely botched that 2nd season (so the Duffers did okay, comparatively). As someone who's done it, I can tell you it's really difficult to do an entire season of a show in one fell swoop. You're constantly wondering what will hit with the audiences and what won't and if something or someone doesn't hit or doesn't work, you're stuck with it for the full season as opposed to phasing it out (or beefing it up if the reaction is good).

And I'm glad I made you laugh, R342. I meant it with no malice. : )

Yes the episode where El meets her "sister", that whole caper was lame but seems like they are trying to branch out beyond the boys. I like the 4 boys better than El but I guess you have to figure they may hit an awkward age or run into problems so they probably want other options just in case.

I don't even mean his body or anything about him was so hot r347, just the way he was attired and and the way he was filmed was blatantly sexual. I mean his introductory shot even had a zoom in on his ass and characters commenting about it. He was treated in a way no other Stranger Things character has been.

And his flirting with Mike's mom... oh my!

That was Dacre's best scene acting wise as well r352. He is apparently better at flirting than other stuff they had him do.

[quote] The Duffer Brothers are cute as hell, though.

They really are. And they are twins as well. I always wonder how close male twins are sexually in their teens. There were twin brothers in my class at high school and they said they openly wanked in front of each other since they shared a room. It felt weird at the time but I sort of get it now. I've sometimes envied that kind of closeness. BTW, I have an older brother and I'd never in a million years would want to do or even discuss anything sexual with him.

I really didn't like this season of Stranger Things, in my eyes the show fell apart in episode 8, but at least the brothers are hottish.

[quote]And they are twins as well.

The amusing anecdote is they don't know if they are fraternal or identical. They grew up assuming they were identical, til they found out their parents didn't actually know. And now they don't want to test it because they would be devastated if they weren't identical.

Russian interference!!!

I haven’t seen this big of backlash since La La Land. At first everyone was singing the praises of Mullet then all of sudden someone is posting he’s a bad actor and doesn’t add anything to the show. An insecure actor or his agent? If Steve we can like both of you. If Jonathan seem The Brothers have lost interest.

Nancy and Jonathan are dating in real life. They look much better outside of the show.

[quote]Nancy and Jonathan are dating in real life. They look much better outside of the show.

Everybody looks better outside of the 80's.

[quote]Nancy and Jonathan are dating in real life. They look much better outside of the show.

Ah. She seemed pretty out of it on the press junket, but given her boyfriend had just been posted for coke that makes sense.

Can we talk about Matthew Modine’s agent? He only appeared in this episode in a few flashbacks, and yet he got top billing.

Torally agree with R142. Also, Eleven has such a Kristy McNichol thing going on it freaks me out. I grew up watching Kristy on TV. The romance between her and the boy just isn't working for me. Eleven is like the love child of Kristy and Carol on TWD. She would be more believable with Max.

Yeh i hate the puppy love storylines going on. Blech.

[quote] Can we talk about Matthew Modine’s agent? He only appeared in this episode in a few flashbacks, and yet he got top billing.

What are you talking about? Winona Ryder has top billing. Modine's name only appeared in the end credits when he was in an episode this season.

Correct r363.

The most unusual thing as we noted earlier was Cara Buono is credited as a series regular when she was barely in this season.

In the final episode, Matthew Modine’s credit is the first thing you see after the title. ‘Starnger Things starting Matthew Modine.”

S2 managed to live up to the hype which is not easy. I enjoyed it alone for the 80's attention to detail, which takes me back. Oh and Hopper's voice. He could read the phone book. The El actress has become insufferable already.

I find it so annoying with characters whom everyone calls by their last name, i.e. Hopper. It's SO bro and never happens in real life.

[quote]and never happens in real life.

You should get out more.

Oh don't encourage him r368.

Really R368? You know someone whom you refer to by their last name? Do tell.

[quote] In the final episode, Matthew Modine’s credit is the first thing you see after the title. ‘Starnger Things starting Matthew Modine.”

Yes, dear. at the end, where the guest actors go. He is NOT in the main title credit sequence. And it says featuring, not starring.

Your obsessive investment in this teevee show is duly noted R371 and r365

Dacre would like you to know he is currently the most searched for celebrity on imdb

Does anyone Dacre’s number? I’m a little down now and need something to um lift my spirits.

I tried to watch his Power Ranger movie but it seemed to take itself too seriously.

Does the G String video really exist?

It exists but we will never see it.

[quote]It exists but we will never see it.

Agreed. It's clear, based on his very description of oiling himself up and dancing in a g string in every interview about his audition that they edited that portion of the video out.

What they showed in that clip was hardly something for Netflix employees to be abuzz about. It seems like they hacked that part off at the end of the video and threw his iMovie credits up there.

Darce doesn't have the teen boy ass that I was attracted to as a teen boy. His ass is wide, fleshy, and flattish.

He does have a great face and decent torso, and he really must have those double lashes mutation - distichiasis

I see a bit of young Ray liotta but much better skin. The face is old fashioned though, like a handsome character actors from the 30s. Not a refined rich boys face. The face of a pretty but violent thug. Well cast.

This reminds me of so many gay directors casting dream boys get them nude and they are the only ones who get to see the goods. Tom Ford, that director you got Dawson Creek in a graphic gay scene and the director Call Me By My Name.

"...who knows what the Durrell brothers have in mind for future seasons?)"

Stranger Things in Corfu: It's All Greek To Me

S2 was disappointing. Pointless storyline and very predictable ending. All of the menace of the upside down was missing in S2. The shadow monster is truly one of the worst creations in the sci-fi genre. Nothing about it makes sense. S3 better take a hard left or I'm out.

Anyone else get major gay vibes off the Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy during the Beyond Stranger Things Post Show?

Wiki says Shawn Levy is married... that's... surprising.

I don’t like to brag but I was the first to suspect one of The Brothers were gay. This was before I sawcBeyond and one came off as bitchy first episode.

Watch any of their interviews. The Duffer without the wedding ring definitely pings.

Straight men don’t crook their hand like this.

Just watched it. I dug it, minus the "NYC" episode. It wasn't as good as season 1 but certainly no sophomore slump. Mullet and Steve are totally fucking next season.

The brother in R387 is removing invisible earrings. I used to do that all the time as a kid too. Especially before answering the phone.

R387 That's a good point, but if straight men don't do that, then a lot of people involved with this show are gay. I get the feeling the older gentleman who hosts the post-show is also gay. And Shawn Levy, and the kid who plays Mike and the kid who plays Will and didn't the person who plays Barb already come out of the closet?

Statistically, that wouldn't seem possible to have that many gay people working on one show, right?

But back to the cute brothers, while both of them pinged to me, the one with the white streak in his hair definitely pinged far more than the other. It would be so awesome if one of the creators of my favorite show turned out to also be gay.

Disappointed this thread is quiet today :/

[quote]And Shawn Levy, and the kid who plays Mike and the kid who plays Will and didn't the person who plays Barb already come out of the closet?

Why do you think those actors are gay? Though idk, they are 13 so I feel weird asking that.

And Shawn Levy is married to woman btw.

R392 I don't know if they are gay or not. The post I was replying to had an image of Matt Duffer engaged in a feminine mannerism with his hand as evidence that he was gay. Those other people I listed also have feminine mannerisms compared to their peers, but it does not mean they are gay. It was just in response to the previous post.

As for the two kids, there are gay 13-year-olds. I was one. Age doesn't have to do with whether someone is or is not gay because gay is biological. Age often has to do with whether someone is or is not out to themselves or others. I have no idea if they were are. I was saying that they tend to crook their fingers like that Matt Duffer guy in R387's image.

Shawn Levy being married is the biggest shock to me. He just really came off like he'd be on our team, not to mention he's really handsome. But, in that case, Shawn Levy would be a good example of why it is hard to tell for sure what someone's born sexuality is through their learned mannerisms.

The Onion reads Stranger Things season two.

As always the Onion nails it.

I had fun watching the season, but it is true the more you think about the more it falls apart.

R394 I don't know. I was truly not disappointed with this season. Episode 7, the bottle episode, was the only part of it that I wasn't gung-ho about.

I'm usually really picky about the quality of what I'm watching and I enjoyed Season 2 as much as Season 1.

Some of the imagery and lighting were even better than the first season. I loved the lighting in Baby's room when Jane/Eleven is at her mom's house. The look of warm light flooding in the window while El walked past was beautiful. I don't know if it was natural light if the used a bounce board or fluffed it up with diffuser and a 2K but it was beautiful. The use of blues and orange, even in scenes like the hotel room after Nancy and Jonathan turn off the lights, you can still see the color scheme shining just offscreen.

I thought the season was a beautifully shot work of art. Authentic art direction, throwback effects like the hazers used in the wooded scenes. I can tell a lot of hard work went into this.

Also, the story and acting. Those were also good parts.

More of shirtless Mullett

Joe Keery (Steve) is on Seth Meyers right now

Is there a Stranger Things Season 1 thread? Just started watching so I don't want to read this thread yet. I tried the search function but this is the only thread that came up. Thanks!

here you go R399

Thank you, R400!

Just watched season two a second time.

Dacre wants you to know, he is such a big star now, he can't even go outside unless he disguises him from the fawning public.

[quote]I’ve been back in Perth, Australia, which is where I live when I’m not working. I went out the other day and I had just a mustache—a thick mustache and glasses and a hat on—and literally couldn’t move around wherever we were at, I think it was a bar or something. I think people just recognize the face shape, and anybody that we watch onscreen, I think, subconsciously, you kind of recognize their features and their gait, how they walk, everything. But I’ve got ways to hide myself now. I’m right in the middle of Sydney right now, in the middle of a square surrounded by hundreds of people, and I have my disguise sorted, which shall remain anonymous.

Dacre also wants you to know he has totally read this thread.

[quote]Totally. I read everything, mate. I don’t like having a huge response because I don’t want to be involved in a discussion about it, necessarily, but I’m extremely interested in how people see the character.

It's alright Dacre. I wish they hadn't put you or Max in the show as well so you could be spared this suffering.

Give us what we want. Whip out your dick.

I'd start with actually seeing Dacre in a g-string, that much hyped audition video was so disappointing.

Enjoy it, Dacre. It's over for you as soon as this show loses steam.

So Will probably is going to end up gay. Or at least the character was envisioned as such in the original show pitch.

Yeah that is obviously their vision, they have purposely dropped a few is-Will-gay references in the show. Nice find though r408.

What is-Will-gay references did I miss, R409?

If the Duffers decide to go ahead with having one of the ST characters be gay, it does seem likely that it's either going to be Will or Billy (funny coincidence that they're both essentially named William). Both would be shocking.

Joyce mentions that her ex husband suspected Will is gay in one if the season 1 episodes.

Did you miss in season 1 where Joyce and Hopper are talking. He even directly asks her "is Will gay?", and she deflects and says "he is missing is what he is!" Her reaction was an implied "probably"

r410 Here's a non comprehensive list. Though I don't think Rainbows were really well known as being LGBT in the 80s. But I'm pretty sure he's got a crush on Mike as it explains a lot of his actions.

[quote]If the Duffers decide to go ahead with having one of the ST characters be gay, it does seem likely that it's either going to be Will or Billy (funny coincidence that they're both essentially named William

So in the final season will Will and Billy ride off in the sunset to San Fransisco together?

Lol, 415. I think Joyce might have something to say about that. But maybe they can be roommates in the spin-off.

Billy will go to San Francisco alone and sign an exclusive contract with Falcon.

Joking aside I think they are more likely to give the character an affair with Mike's mom than have Billy be gay. God knows they need to think of something for Cara Buono to do since she is one of their series regulars.

Yeah, I'm still surprised at how little importance Mrs. Wheeler had this season vs. last season where she exactly seemed to care about her older children and their whereabouts.

[quote] Joking aside I think they are more likely to give the character an affair with Mike's mom than have Billy be gay. God knows they need to think of something for Cara Buono to do since she is one of their series regulars.

So wait a minute, I auditioned in my G-string and all I get is an affair with THAT frump??

Dears, this is a sci-fi show not Dynasty.

r241 Did you miss the teenage love triangle? Its at least Riverdale.

Can they do a mash up with Eyewitness. Or introduce some 80s believable HS gay character.

Billy looks like a narc posing as a student on "21 Jump Street."

Lol, he is "only" 22. God knows Hollywood teenagers have been older.

I love how some people insist on describing MBB as if she’s Mary Poppins, when she lived in Spain the first four years of her life and has lived in the USA the past six — the longest she’s lived anywhere. She just lived in the UK for four years, between the time she was four and eight.

Season Two...lame and forgettable.

Far from perfect but I was entertained. Mullet was a plus.

By the way David Harbour’s instagram is very entertaining. He has a great sense of humor.

David Harbour seems to be an all-round delightful human being, r429. I also want to climb him like a tree.

Especially with him in his Hellboy shape.

If all the gays just keep saying it, we can make it happen right?

r432 I don't particularly want it though. The bully being mean because he's a repressed homosexual who's beaten by his dad is one old trope I don't want ST to repeat.

It was a foregone conclusion, but season 3 is officially renewed.

The interesting tidbit is Netflix wanted to film s3 and s4 back-to-back to help fight the aging of the actors, and the Duffer brothers refused.

I fucking hated Season Two. They took everything that was fresh and original in the first season and destroyed it.

Take a chill pill, R435. And find something more substantial than a TV show to believe in.

"To believe in"? what the fuck are you talking about? You know nothing about me or my life. Fuck off.

R408 They would never have the guts to "out" Will now that the show has become such a hit, it would p.o. too many mid-western housewives.

That being said, I wonder if this could be another sign that one of the Duffers is gay or bisexual? I feel like they poured so much of themselves into these young characters, it wouldn't be an extraordinary leap for that tidbit to be autobiographical as well.

I'm still floored that Shawn Levy is married. Such a waste. He was so handsome on Beyond Stranger Things.

r438 I wouldn't say it's impossible. Even the Disney Channel has gay middle schoolers now. At the least I can see them carrying on dropping hints that he's gay like in r414 , and not have him date anyone in Highschool unlike the other kids to make it clear he's not straight. That approach wouldn't overly bother me I don't really expect a timid kid in the 80s who's been bullied for years, living in small town America to come charging out of the closet (before college anyway).

Plus the actor didn't really seem up for Will being outed.

I never paid attention to the Duffer brothers but they were on that late night Carson Daley show and they were cuties. Looks like they spiffed themselves up after the first season.

I don't watch the show, but the curly haired chunky one with fucked up teeth sang the national anthem last night at a NY Rangers game and the clip was posted on their FB page. The comment section is flooded with posts about how over exposed this kid is and how lots of fans cannot stand him.

That's too bad. He seems like a nice kid.

I don't think he's overexposed.

He’s my favorite one. I love him.

Yeah Gaten is charismatic as hell, a great find by the show.

Nobody came out in high school in the 80s. It would be unrealistic to have a big coming out scene.

They should keep dropping hints though and not have him date (or show interested in) girls.

Or have his girlfriend move to Europe

R446 While I'm too young to have experienced High School back then, I'm sure what you are saying is true. They could choose to do a scene where he confides in his mother to having feelings he doesn't understand, or something along those lines.

But, I still can't imagine they would go there, given the popularity of the show. It is a cash cow for Netflix right now. 16 million viewers in the U.S. in its first 3 days, not counting those who watched via computer, phone or pad. They would risk so much if they dared to do anything remotely progressive. To some conservatives, just the idea that an underage character might be maybe, sorta, kinda not 100% traditionally straight until the turn 18 is cause for revolt.

Still hoping one of the Duffer's is gay. That would be so cool.

R448, I came of age and came out in the 80s in the Midwest suburbs. He wouldn't tell his mom either. It was a very scary time to come out as gay. HIV/AIDS hysteria was at its peak in the mid-80s... people received death threats. I have supportive parents, but I made sure I had other support in place in case the worst happened. I knew I was gay from about the age of 12 on, so it was almost constant paranoia for me. I came out to a friend when I was 18, and it was someone who didn't go to my school. I didn't come out to anyone in my school or my parents until after graduation.

I think the show should continue to hint he's gay, but shouldn't ever really be explicit about it... anything else would be unrealistic.

R441 Comment sections are awful. He seems like a nice kid and he's a really good actor.

How can anyone hate this kid?

R451 Some people are just haters. They would hate a pile of snuggling puppies if they could.

That kid IS annoying. They all are except Will. They should have had D'Artagnan eat him. It would have been ironic and made a lot of people happy. 2nd season was good. They kept the same style and quality. Eleven is a good actress. I liked chapter 7. I thought the sister storyline was sad. Nancy looked like crap. Steve is stupid and not cute. He needs to go, along with the british and australian import. Immigrants cannot play Americans. Their inflections are all wrong. I notice it right away and it drives me crazy! They should end show now. Eleven opened the gate. She closed the gate. End of story. Season 3 needs new characters and old ones to go. Keep it fresh.

I think the “Australian and British imports” did fine. If you are listening hard for it you’ll hear it, but why try so hard to be miserable when misery is such a cheap commodity anyway?

Chapter 7 did derail the story a bit at an extreme cliffhanger, which I think was a mistake, because when they did get back to the facility it was like “oh yeah, that happened.” It’s safe to assume that series served the larger narrative of the series.

Season 2 did very well with the slow boil tension, and I’m glad Reiser’s scientist wasn’t another two-dimensional bad guy, but it did leave a somewhat less satisfying feeling at the end. In season 1 there’s one terrible creature to overcome and one boy to rescue and when it happens it feels personal and real. A closing the gate to save the planet narrative is so grand that it’s not particularly relatable.

That said it was probably still a good choice. Otherwise season 2 would have just been a retread of season 1.

R454 I don't listen hard for anything. I can just tell immediately. It's the inflections. My boyfriend is amazed at how I pick up on it so quickly. And then ill google and be right. He can never tell. It's because I HATE foreign accents especially British so any little thing sets me off. I am far from miserable buddy boy. Don't try it.

They sure as shit don't look like sisters. Terrible casting.

Rob Lowe is right, the kid looks like he could be his son more than his two sons do.

Is anyone watching Dark, the German Netflix series?

R458 I haven't yet, but I thought about it because I was told it is a bit like Stranger Things.

Is it any good? If so, how good, and should I be watching it?

R458 and R459 ... I watched the first episode. It's badly dubbed into English from the original German and that was really distracting to me. And the first episode wasn't good enough to make me want to come back and watch any more.

R460 I don't like to watch dubbed foreign shows. I like to watch them in their original language so that I can take in the actors entire performance, voice and all. Can you not view it in German with English captions?

I am shocked Netflix wouldn't give us that option.

R461 Follow up to that, we have the option to watch it in the original German. I just watched the first episode in German with English subtitles. It was pretty good. Not Stranger Things good, but very, very few shows are.

I watched the first episode (in English) and was thoroughly unimpressed.

Has anyone ever watched Stranger Things in one of the alternate languages? How does the translation and voice acting compare to the English version?

It was all Greek to me.

Watched (some of) Power Rangers on cable this weekend. Montgomery is bland as fuck in it. I mean, sure, it's Power Rangers, what could they possibly give him to do that would actually be memorable, but it again makes me wonder what everyone is seeing in him.

Dark Is Better Than Stranger Things

Season 2 sucked. Too many characters and I may never forgive the Duffers for the Eleven goes punk episode. David Harbour was great and deserved his GG nom. I loved Eleven’s relationship with Hopper but I missed her interactions with the other kids, esp Mike. I hope next season is much less Nancy/Jonathan and more Hopper and the kids. It’s going to be out in 2019, which sucks.

I really enjoyed Dark. Yes, the dubbing is awful, but the plot is very cool - more twisty than Stranger Things but with less horror elements.

If the dubbing is awful you can watch it with subtitles

Liked the first season ,it was OK. Loved the second season. Except for the one Chicago episode, it played like a movie. Well done.

I'm up to episode 3, am almost giving up. So boring.

Who did Dacre suck and fuck to get this role?

Probably one or both of the Duffers, r473. He auditioned in a g-string so draw your own conclusions.

Netflix's New Show Dark Is Better Than Stranger Things

I know none of the kids were ever going to get nominated for an award. But still. David Harbour does not deserve the GG nomination for season 2.

Watched the first episode and don't understand the praise of "Dark". DULL.

Dacre looks like a pissy bottom.

LOL

He looks better with the big wig.

[quote]Even RDJ never looked as bad in his drug days as this kid does. Again, i can't believe he;s only 23.

You're supposed to believe he's 16.

I loved Bob. I really thought he was going to be a bad guy/undercover Hawkins Lab worker,

But he really was just a lovable dork.

I hope Sean astin doesn't get any fatter, b/c this chunky size suits him.

I couldn't make It past two episodes. The magic is gone. And I felt super cheated that Eleven just popped out of a wall right away. It negated our emotional involvement with Season One's finale. Fuck this shit. I'm over it.

Super cheated, huh? Oh my.

R484 - Yes. Super cheated.

Noah Schnapp is an ass man.

The only surprise about that is it's a female ass...

r486 Well that got deleted pretty fast.

Are we sure about Noah being straight? He wore a scarf to the Golden Globes. That's some gay kids dream.

What rumors about BBM?

Her parents are meant to be really controlling and promoting of her, make her do exhausting and overpriced con schedules and the like. The rumour I saw earlier was that she was deliberately late on their advice so she could make a bigger splash than her co-actors. Dunno i it's true. But they come up on Blind Item sites fairly often. Personally I think they should be investigated for OKing that dress alone.

Is he wearing sandals with a tux?

At the afterparty I think. Guess those house shoes were uncomfortable or something.

How come all the kids took a picture together with the redhead girl but 11 had to take a picture by herself?

Stranger Things 2 sucked.

You suck!

Touche! (but Stranger Things 2 still sucked big time.)

Douche! (But your opinion sucks and you suck majorly.)

Why are there so many 12 year olds on this site lately?

If you can't think of anything more substantial that "This sucks," then you are the 12-year-old, r499.

Suck! Suck! Suck!

That's what r501's dad used to tell him when his mom was out of town.

R489 I think Finn is gayer than Noah, just look Beyond Stranger Things

Every time I see Millie Bobby Brown, I think Lindsay Lohan of 2025. The media frenzy around her and the way she and her family react to it seem VERY Parent Trap 1998 to me. Avoid the drugs, MBB.

It all depends if she grows up pretty I think she will be a big star. If she doesn’t she better go to college.

MBB is no Emma Watson. She is trying desperately to stay in the spotlight.

Some of you are just super creepy with your Millie Brown obsession and desire to see her destroyed by Hollywood.

2 was waaaay better than 1

1 was waaaay better than 2

Both 1 and 2 were seasons of the show.

[bold]Report: 'Stranger Things' Season 3 Will Be the Duffer Brothers' Last[/bold]

[quote]Season 3 of the hit series will likely be the last for the Duffer Brothers, the showrunners and creators of the fan-favorite show, according to a source with knowledge of the production.

[quote]Should this come to pass, the third season will be the last to feature the Duffers in the same active capacity as in previous seasons. Meaning they will likely oversee the writers room and contribute scripts while directing at least the Season 3 premiere and finale. (Should there be more seasons after their departure, they will retain the traditional Executive Producer credit.)

[quote]According to our source, Matt and Ross Duffer's deal with Netflix requires at least two more projects from the prolific talents, and starting to develop and produce one of those is a significant factor behind their eventual parting of ways from Eleven and Co.

[quote]We're also hearing that the Duffer Brothers [...] have taken meetings in Hollywood regarding potentially directing another feature film.

Damn, that is unexpected r511. Surprised the Duffers want to walk away from this instead of finishing it out themselves.

They can get anyone to rip off movie classics. It's not brain surgery.

R513 = Brian De Palma

Well there's a theory they'll kill of Mike due to Wolfhards busy schedule, and going by how MBB acts lately I can see her being ""advised"" by her dad/manager to a break for it as well. This should be interesting to watch.

They should wrap up the Hawkins story and tell something else.

They did try something new with the city episode but only a minority liked that one.

I have a hard time believing this. Netflix knows they have a good thing going and a cash cow; why let them leave now to pursue the other projects in their agreement when those could be done once ST has run its course. They could ride ST's popularity and success then. The Duffers always act like a couple little boys playing with their favorite toys when talking about ST's story and characters. They have also said they have it planned all the way to the end. I can't believe they would hand it over to anyone else.

But mainly there's the "a source close to the production says..." line. That's gossip rag bullshit. For example: "A source close to the couple says Aaron and Danica are so in love and want to spend as much time as possible together, Aaron is thinking of taking up a second career as a race car driver!" See? I think it's just shit stirring.

I think they want to get out before it becomes stale for them (and likely everyone else).

The actors are growing up and yeah, probably making demands and shit. It’s probabaly not worth sticking around. I commend their decision to bow out while it’s still fun.

[quote]They did try something new with the city episode but only a minority liked that one.

I had problems with that episode, but the idea of it didn't bother me. It was more that the gang was really annoying. I know it was necessary so the audience would know why Eleven was able to close off the portal to the Upside Down, but it also came right after the season's best cliffhanger (and possibly best episode, I haven't quite decided on that), and it totally fucked over the momentum.

I'm in the minority that thought this season was better than the first, but I honestly do think this story has about one more season left and then they need to tell some other story about different characters. And not have it be a direct spinoff, just something set in the same universe.

r518 Maybe they're just starting to run out of ideas? The relationship drama is pretty settled, barring Heaton and Dyer breaking up, or some sort of unexpected gay drama for Will or Steve and Billy. For story next season they either have to rehash s2 with fighting Mind Flayer flunkies, or deal with it directly, and after that what do you do? Introduce an even bigger evil monster for season 4?

Unrelated but apparently Dacre Montgomery is an Instawhore dating Coke fiend now. This cast have so much unexpected drama for a Netflix original.

[quote]some sort of unexpected gay drama for Will

Would gay drama for Will be unexpected? Their original pitch to Netflix said he was gay.

Maybe not completely out of the blue unexpected. But I can't see them going there anytime soon, they'll probably just keep on dropping enough hints that it's obvious if you look.

Did the Duffer's state how many seasons they've planned on? I read in this thread that they've planned out the entire series run. Which I hope they get to see to the end. I'm just curious about how many more seasons that includes. If every season is going to be about the kids fighting some big bad and then in the 11th hour being saved by 11 they should consider wrapping up the series sooner rather than later.

OMG, according to this website, I live 2 minutes away from Dacre's house on the show. DarkHorizons said they start filming in April. I better hit the gym.

r524 Four seasons apparently. Which makes the rumour about them leaving after 3 to pursue other projects sound like bull shit.

[quote] According to the brothers, Netflix has already renewed the series for a third season. But by the end of that season, the preteens of Hawkins, Ind., will be headed toward college.

“We’re thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out,” Ross said.

“We just have to keep adjusting the story,” Matt continued. “Though I don’t know if we can justify something bad happening to them once a year.”

Netflix declined to comment when reached by Variety.

Netflix responds to the rumour.

[quote]Don't drop your Eggos. Rumors that the Duffer Bros are leaving Stranger Things after season 3 are false.

[quote]According to the brothers, Netflix has already renewed the series for a third season. But by the end of that season, the preteens of Hawkins, Ind., will be headed toward college.

By the end of the third season, the preteens will be in college? What?! They're not even in high school yet. Are they all geniuses that skipped 5 grades?

Who are the Duffer brothers and how did these millennials score such a deal with Netflix? I have ideas for shows too but I would never be able to even get in the door to pitch to Netflix. I'm surprised they're millennials. I thought they were 80s kids since they were doing the 80s nostalgia thing but that was before they were even born. They're 90s kids. So why set the show in the 80s instead of their own time of the 90s?

Because they grew up watching and loving 80s movies r529.

And they worked in the business before Stranger Things, made a film and worked on a TV series. They weren't big names but not no ones, and they also had Shawn Levy on board who was a more known entity.

R525

Thanks.

r528 I think they start highschool next season, so by s4 they'll be juniors, which is what Jonathan and Nancy are. So that would be a good hopping off point.

You sure have a funny way of doing math.

A trio of new characters: a mayor, a news reporter, and an old neighbourhood lady.

Where's the Falcon video talent scout character sent to Hawkins to court Billy?

Oh they're just going to keep adding unnecessary character to this show then?

Shows always have to add in new characters r536, it is standard operating procedure. You need someone for the cast to play off of

And the roles have been cast. John Lithgow as the Mayor, Alison Brie as the news reporter and Felicity Huffman as the old neighborhood lady.

By you, R538? Or can you grace us with a link?

That is just r538 fancasting, definitely not the actual casting.

Here comes Stranger Things #METOO moment.

Who is she? I don’t remember her on Stranger Things. And she just quit her job over this? Yeah right. More like she wasn’t asked back.

She was a crew member r542, not an actor.

[quote] verbally abuse

Pff - that could mean anything.

r542 She was a grip on set. Going by her Instagram she was celebrating s3 as late as December

Stranger Things cast gets big pay raises for Season 3.

Also I guess Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) isn't going anywhere, since he was included in these salary negotiations. I assume he must have worked out being able to enter America.

[quote] What is known, however, is that Brown, as The Hollywood Reporter reported last year, separated herself from the rest of the cast during the renegotiation, and is at least making the $250,000 that the other younger actors are earning. But some sources suggest Brown may be getting even more, possibly the $350,000 per episode

I really do dislike that girls family.

Those kids should be careful about negotiating as I don't see any of them being key to the series. Will, the black kid, the redhead girl, Jonathan, Billy, Winona, etc. could all disappear and the show would just go on unfettered. It seems the keys are 11, Mike and the Sheriff.

Not sure you can do the show without the Byers after two seasons revolving around them. Well they could probably send Jonathan off to college I guess.

r486

He likes big butts and he cannot lie.

r550 The youth of today are a fascinating species even if I wasn't gay when I was 13 I'd have still tried to avoid my parents knowing when and what I was jacking to. This guy doesn't give a shit.

Season 3 teaser.

This recently released screenplay excerpt from the "Snowball" scene appears to confirm that Will is supposed to be gay, and have a crush on Mike.

r553 Should be pointed out they didn't go with that scene in the end. But for whatever reason had the more subtle version of him giving an awkward smile at the girl he was with while "every smile you fake" plays. Anyhow. I'd rather they didn't go the crush on his best friend route because barring Millie Bobby Brown quitting the show Mike and Eleven is pretty much set in stone so Will's set to lose out.

Season 3 isn't for another year, so... it's odd to get a teaser.

It keeps people talking about and engaging with the show in the downtime r555, smart PR campaign.

It's going to be weird to see it in the summer, rather than around Halloween.

Didn't the first season come out in August?

A smalltown high school kid in the 80s getting a bf would be kind of unrealistic, anyway; I think just going down the unrequited crush route could be very affecting.

It could play out something like this:

Will reveals his crush to Mike (maybe by kissing him on the cheek in the heat of the moment); Mike doesn't know how to react, freaks out a bit (in the 2nd scenario maybe even pushing him away in the first moment of shock). Will thinks that he's ruined their friendship and that Mike hates him now; he becomes depressed, and avoids Mike and the others. Finally, Mike comforts him, assuring him that everything's stilll the same between them; then he encourages him to come out to the rest of the gang and his family, and promises to support him.

^This was meant as a reply to

[quote] I'd rather they didn't go the crush on his best friend route because barring Millie Bobby Brown quitting the show Mike and Eleven is pretty much set in stone so Will's set to lose out.

in r554

Being alive in the 80s in the homophobic midwest, I assure you, even THAT'S unrealistic, R559

He'd remain closeted until he felt he could support himself on his own or escape if he had to.

If they ever go there, it'd be just between him and the audience most likely.

Winona would support him.

Yes, but he doesn't KNOW that.

With his brother's regular pep talks, I don't think it would be unrealistic for him to come out to his family.

At one time there were talks Finn Wolfhard may need to leave the show because of his film career, I could see them killing off Mike.

My scenario: Ell has powers. Will, because of his time in the Upside Down and being possessed by the MindFlayer, begins to develop the same powers. Some typical "Stranger Things " shit happens , and while the crew are dealing with that, the jealousy between Will and Ell boils over and they fight over Mike, using their powers. Of course, as these things go, they accidentally kill Mike. If MBB also leaves, Ell could be so despondent about losing Mike, she and Will must combine their powers to fight the threat, also putting aside the hate and blame they feel towards each other and Ell dies. Or make the sacrifice play and push Will out of the way, saving his life.

All that being said, I hope they all make it to the end of the series.

Will Joyce finally take off her wig this season?

It's been ten months since the last season aired, and I had forgotten so many things about it until I re-read this thread. The main things I remembered were things I didn't like--the prolonged attempt to wring every last drop of pathos for Dustin at the school dance, the annoying meltdowns of the boys, the ugly dog thingies from the other dimension, the ridiculously out of place episode in Chicago. Re-reading the thread, though, reminded me there were things I did like, especially Dustin's mother and Sean Astin's fine performance.

The fact I had forgotten so much, though, when I remember so much about the first season convinces me they really had a sophomore slump.

[quote] leave the show because of his film career, I could see them killing off Mike.

Doubt it. Nothing he's in is that time consuming. Going by his IMDB the only things he has to do besides ST is two voice roles, and that 5 minute cameo in IT he's sharing with 6 other actors. Plus since he'll be making around $2 million for next season which is probably more than he's been paid for all his other roles combined I doubt he's going anywhere.

r568 meant for r565

I wonder if they will see a drop in the ratings. That is a long break and I don't think people were as into the show by the end of season 2. They might not have the momentum to keep people interested that they had after season 1.