Stranger Things

[BomberPat]

15 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

There is no malice or ill will in this post but every time over the years you've posted about Stranger Things, you seem to really dislike it. Can I ask why you watch it still* or if you do actually enjoy it?

Is it a "might as well see it through to the end" situation?

 

*Coming from a man who despite absolutely despising it, watched all 3 series of After Life

it's very much a "see it through to the end" deal. I loved the first series, and there was enough in series two to keep me interested, but it's consistently lost its way since then. I guess I keep hoping it can be as good as it was, and that they figure out a way to make it all tie together, because there's usually something to like, but it can't help but get in its own way. 

[SuperBacon]

2 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

it's very much a "see it through to the end" deal. I loved the first series, and there was enough in series two to keep me interested, but it's consistently lost its way since then. I guess I keep hoping it can be as good as it was, and that they figure out a way to make it all tie together, because there's usually something to like, but it can't help but get in its own way. 

That's fair enough and as a completist I get it. I think the only thing I've ever tapped out on was The Walking Dead. Even I gave up.

[Mr_Danger]

The finale was completely fine. Seeing it called ‘too safe’ but I’m not sure what was expected. I think they put a nice little bow around a completely enjoyable fine show elevated by some decent characters, nice setting, good soundtrack and one great head of hair. They definitely nailed that feeling of sadness between leaving childhood and joining the real world and that feeling will stay with me a while. Definitely one of the most depressing times in my real life.
 

Be interesting to see how the younger actors get on post show. I know Millie Bobby Brown gets a lot of stick for being obnoxious when she was small child but I think she’s a pretty good watchable star. Joe Keery will do well between small films and tv I think of the other kids Sadie Sink is the obvious choice who I think is probably the most talented of them all. I don’t think Noah Schnapp is quite as bad as the internet would have you believe and i reckon he did a much better job with the stronger material for his character in the last series but I wouldn’t expect to see him in much now. He ain’t great.

[DavidB6937]

People were going to complain regardless. You get all the "don't you dare kill xyz!" posts beforehand. You get all the "well that was too safe!" stuff after. You're never going to please everyone wrapping up a story like that.

I thought it all made sense and felt like the right end. It was very much true to itself which to me is the most important thing. Once you start moving away from the heart of a show and attempting to be shocking for the sake of it then you end up where Game of Thrones did.

[SuperBacon]

I always wanted them to do a big epilogue so I was very happy with it. The finale was really good, the episodes leading up to them were absolutely shit though.

[NeverYield]

I agree Super, think it was a really strong ending to a lacklustre season overall. 

The ending felt like a real goodbye in that basement. 

[Sergio Mendacious]

On 12/2/2025 at 5:00 AM, SuperBacon said:

That's fair enough and as a completist I get it. I think the only thing I've ever tapped out on was The Walking Dead. Even I gave up.

[Hannibal Scorch]

I thought season 5 was fine. Yes, was weirdly paced compared to earlier runs. More filler, but overall I found it a satisfying end and glad they didn’t shot the bed as these things often do. 
 

I’d happily see a spin off with the adults having their monthly catch up. Especially if they meet up to solve crimes in a mini van.

Very confused by the complaints from people complaining you needed to watch the play for season 5 to make sense. Didn’t feel that at all. 

[Supremo]

It’s been fascinating to follow the online reaction as someone with no skin in the game. I tapped out after they Dusty Finished Hopper’s death between Season 3 and Season 4. I’ll get around to it one day, but it’s far from vital viewing.

If anything, the reaction to the finale has encouraged me. Most level headed folks seem to consider it flawed but acceptable (perfect description of the show overall) and the only people truly angry appear to be nutters who either need an exhaustive list of answers to every question ever posed in the show, or who are disappointed the ending didn’t correlate to their bonkers Tik Tok fantasy booking.

Fittingly, they’re doing a co-promotion with WWE on this week’s Raw. The returning Chris Jericho’s change in physique between AEW and WWE about to pay tribute to Vecna getting jacked between Season 4 and Season 5.

[HarmonicGenerator]

I really liked the finale. I hadn’t theorised my way into rug pulls, swerves or major deaths so I was very happy that everyone ended up very happy. Indulgent, maybe, but I was fine with that. Strong ending, and I enjoyed season 5 overall after finding most of 4 a bit of a slog to get through.

[I Bent My Wookie]

I bawled during the older youngsters talking sat on the roof. I think its a testament to the acting, writing and development that 4 characters that were in no way major cast in Season 1, just adding to the overall group or not even being part of the show became potentially (and at least for me) as important as the core group. Add Eddie to that group too. 

It was flawed sure, but I absolutely adored it and hope there's a big futurr for most if not all the cast. 

I also couldn't help but love Derek hugging Steve. Two former dipshits fully gone good. 

[Accident Prone]

I can't get past the army just letting the gang go. Hopper, Nancy and Barry (I'm sure I'm forgetting some too) actually shot, injured, maimed and killed soldiers, as well as everything else they did, and I'm supposed to believe that they were all just let go with no repercussions, knowing all they know and doing what they did? And also no comeuppance for the secondary big bad, Linda Hamilton?

How the fuck is that teacher allowed to be within school limits after getting caught in the church? His arc and story felt incredibly rushed, one minute he's a normie and the next minute he's balls deep in the upside-down and hacking military bases. That didn't gel.

I don't know, there's a lot of things like that with most of the characters. The show also felt like it was filmed and stitched together without the full cast in one place at the same time, there's definitely some weird creative choices there to get round that. Is that a normal thing now? Modern film/TV making?

I enjoyed it overall, but man does it feel like they still cannot commit to that being the actual end. Them not fully committing to Eleven's fate and them not fully committing to finishing up Linda and the special ops team, and the gang just skirting all responsibility, kinda makes me believe they're going to dip back into the well again if (or when) the money is right.

[LaGoosh]

I have to say when I was watching a Jedi mind battle take place inside a giant spider on the shitty empty bad CG piss planet while Super Soldier Nancy Wheeler shot it with an assault rifle all to stop a giant alien planet from crashing into Earth it did make me think perhaps the show might have lost its way at some point...

Everything in the 45 minute epilogue was pretty good and exactly what it should have been but the entirety of season 5 before that was fairly stupid and awful. Felt like a bad Marvel film. Every time they flashed back to the early seasons it was a brutal reminder of how fun the show was and how bad this season was. I was pleasantly surprised they didn't do any "shock" deaths though. In fact the season as a whole reminded me of the final season of Lost which just felt characters rushing around dumping exposition and wasting time doing nothing until the ending. It even had last minute unexplained magic rocks just like Lost did!

The mystery of the Upside Down being revealed to be "yeah it's just a bridge, the real threat is this boring rock planet" was very disappointing. Just casually brushing away the fascinating central mystery/threat of the entire show to introduce something way more boring as the real threat at the last minute is bad writing no matter how you look at it.

Feel like the least they could have done is have the final battle to save Hawkins actually take place in Hawkins. 

Noah Schnapp is a terrible actor and I'd be surprised if he ever worked again. The rest of the cast are great though and hopefully have bright futures ahead. Sadie Sink and Maya Hawke will likely do the best.

I dunno, I'm maybe just too old for it. If I was 12 I'd probably have thought it was great. 

Edited January 4 by LaGoosh

[mim731]

2 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

Noah Schnapp is a terrible actor and I'd be surprised if he ever worked again.

You'd hope his abhorrent political views would be reason enough for him to not get further high profile gigs, but alas I suspect that makes his gainful employment more likely in current day Hollywood.

[Mr_Danger]

Ha yeah them not only letting Hopper go but him getting his job back and instantly getting a promotion was nuts. Every time he killed a government special forces solider in plain sight, let alone torturing one I thought they must be killing him off even though they blew their load with the dusty finish with him already. Then Brett Gelman is blowing up helicopters. At least if Linda Hamilton had died they could have gotten away with brushing it all under the rug.