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Stranger Things S4 | OT | Every ending has a beginning (Open spoilers)

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m_shortpants

m_shortpants

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,256
CrazyDude said:
The money is being well spent, the production design is top notch.
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Yup. It felt so much more well made than most of the D+ shows. Obi Wan, Boba Fett etc have all had me pause and think about the somewhat lackluster production quality, unconvincing CGI, poor writing...didn't have that issue with ST. Just full on immersion.
 
Musubi

Musubi

Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,619
Saifu said:
Glad Max survived, but would also be really cool if they had the balls to kill her off. The stake would feel so much more real.
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I'm just bracing myself cause I feel like they will kill off a main character and I feel like it's going to be Nancy or Steve. Steve has some bad injuries and we left episode 7 with Nancy being entranced by Vecna.
 

Deleted member 36578

Dec 21, 2017
26,561
Just finished episode 4 and for all the hype this thread had been giving it I was expecting A LOT. I gotta say, it delivered. Incredible stuff.

I do have a minor gripe so far with episode 4 though.....
Hopper. He's way to indestructible. They shouldn't have written that he needed to break his feet like that to slip the shackles off. It just made everything he had to do, fight, run, ect. far to unbelievable. They could've just written a different way to get free from them, like a key or something. It just really took me out of the excitement because I was rolling my eyes that he could even walk after that. I know, it's a show with monsters and stuff, but I couldn't deal with it.
 
Jonnykong

Jonnykong

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,918
In episode 4,

What did Max use to stab Vecna?did she rip off a part of him?

I'm loving that this season is basically a new version of A Nightmare on Elm Street
 
rainking187

rainking187

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,150
Only thing I didn't really like this season was
finding out Hopper survived the explosion by just jumping out of the way. That just seemed really dumb to me.
 
Mariolee

Mariolee

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,311
Wow that was a fantastic first part to the season. Echoing what everyone said about the ending of episode 4 but the ending of episode 7 is also incredible.
 
Idde

Idde

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,674
Currently up to ep five, enjoying it a lot, one small question though about Hopper and how he got to Russia. After the explosion at the end of season three, was he just taken by some Russians? Thought there was only a split second when he was behind that power generator or something when Joyce went looking for him. And in the flashback we saw there were like five or six Russians standing over Hopper, when I thought there were no more Russians around when the explosion went of at the end of season three.
 
MouldyK

MouldyK

Prophet of Truth
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
10,118
Episode 7 Spoilers,

Maybe it's because I snort the Star Wars Prequels every day...

...but One's dialogue about Eleven joining him and just the vengeance he had in his eyes...

...and the way they did that Force Push Hand crap...

...giving me some Anakin vibes right there.
 
MouldyK

MouldyK

Prophet of Truth
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
10,118
Retromess said:
Also, was Victor Creel played by Robert Englund? If so, that's a fun nod! I'm too afraid to look anything up because I want to avoid spoilers.
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Yup!

Wikipedia says:

"Englund, best known for portraying Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street films, had approached the Duffers for a role in Stranger Things, which fit well with the direction they wanted to take this season."


So it's nice he approached them and they found a perfect slot for him.
 
Khanimus

Khanimus

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
40,218
Greater Vancouver
Three episodes in.

So far the 80's nostalgia hasn't been horribly obnoxious, and you nevertheless enjoy and see why these characters all hit. The first episode was like "oh yeah, Stranger Things can be alright."

So far the Joyce/whats-his-face story feel like the most superfluous shit, which is a shame because I love Joyce but it feels like they never really know what to do with her after that first season.

The "Dungeons and Dragons = satanism" angle is a helluva lot more successful as an of-the-era paranoia than just pulling on genre cliches that S3 was mired in.
 
Nightwing123

Nightwing123

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,413
After finish all the episode, I can safely say episode 4 is my favorite of the whole season. It was just so good all they way through and that ending 😭
 
Helix

Helix

Mayor of Clown Town
Member
Jun 8, 2019
23,799
Retromess said:
Just finished episode 4.

Hoo, people weren't joking about how that's a heck of an episode! Lots and lots happened that was pretty insane.

The start to this season was kinda shaky, but I'm still definitely invested and interested to see where it goes. Slowish start that's really getting intriguing as it ramps up.

Also, was Victor Creel played by Robert Englund? If so, that's a fun nod! I'm too afraid to look anything up because I want to avoid spoilers.
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a lot of people seems to be surprised by this but I found out about this casting a bit early and oh my did it fit like a glove.
 
Helix

Helix

Mayor of Clown Town
Member
Jun 8, 2019
23,799
rainking187 said:
Only thing I didn't really like this season was
finding out Hopper survived the explosion by just jumping out of the way. That just seemed really dumb to me.
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I still believe that him ending up in the upside down and getting out from another gate that happened to be in Russia was the better way to handle that.
 
dglavimans

dglavimans

Member
Nov 13, 2019
7,667
Lifejumper said:
I enjoyed the season but ngl I pressed "pause" a whole lot while watching these episodes.
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To take a break? I do too but it isn't that weird some of the episodes are movie length and I need to take a small break

I'm at episode 6 now and:

i love Eleven but her story since season 1 really isn't going anywhere right now.. don't like that will is sidelined all the episodes I watched. They do make the stories work though although the group is so split up and apart now

Great season
 
HStallion

HStallion

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
62,262
Ok I said fuck it to my usual morning routine and watched a good chunk of episode 1. Pretty good stuff. Great to see these characters again and the opening was some horror goodness. Also Steve remains the best dude,"Its boobies!"

Edit: Also is it me or is the production quality even better than the last couple seasons. Its really good all around.
 
KtotheRoc

KtotheRoc

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
56,676
Only seen 4 episodes so far. I'm enjoying it.

The kids have all grown significantly, and the production team do their best to hide it, but there are times when it's pretty noticeable.
 
sfedai0

sfedai0

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,964
Man, I forgot that ST has multiple groups with different scenarios simultaneously. Almost to the end and looking forward to see if they give clues on how they all intersect.
 
Dandy

Dandy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,467
Finished the final episode - what a great season! I cannot wait for July. Episode 4 was incredible. I was convinced Max was going to die, and was so happy when she didn't. The scene with her running and the music was just... amazing.

I figured out most of the stuff relating to Vecna on my own(which is great - I'm glad their twist was set up properly) - I figured out the blonde guy was 001, that he was Vecna, that he killed everyone in the lab instead of Ell and that Ell had sent him to the upside down like she did with the Demogorgon. The only part I didn't clue into was that he was Creel's son. By the time it was revealed I had honestly forgotten that they mentioned he had initially survived the night he killed his mother and sister.
 
Kaseoki

Kaseoki

Unshakable Resolve
Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,291
rainking187 said:
Only thing I didn't really like this season was
finding out Hopper survived the explosion by just jumping out of the way. That just seemed really dumb to me.
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Helix said:
I still believe that him ending up in the upside down and getting out from another gate that happened to be in Russia was the better way to handle that.
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Didn't he end up on at the other gate hence he gets captured by the Russians?
 
oddjobs

oddjobs

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,881
Binged this last night, a few thoughts:

- The balancing between setting everything up and then things finally starting to happen IMO wasn't the greatest, as it resulted in some of the backstories (at least based on what we can see now) getting drawn out for too long. I get that they want to make each season probably a somewhat balanced show on its own, but as someone having watched all of it I was hoping they'd get to the big stuff earlier, without having to run in circles before that so much
- Wayyy too much of using certain comedic side characters (Argyle, the smuggler, the dumb cop and the conspiracy dude) as crutches
- Absolutely hated the Suzie-storyline, which probably isn't a big surprise as I'm not too keen about some of the more comedic elements in the show
- Overall, I get that the California & Alaska/Russia-storylines probably will tie into the season ending in a big way, but goddamn if they didn't feel like some dumb side quests for the most part (aside from El's training etc.)

- When we eventually got to the big moments and revealing / building the overarching story, boy did it fucking deliver
- Loved the ending, had guessed early on that 001 was the guard and then had some lingering doubts about what happened to Creel's son after his comment "went into coma and died" but connected the dots only a bit before the big reveal. The whole scene was so well done, reminded me of some of GoT's finest moments with the music playing an important part in how it all felt
- The episode with Creel was great in that it gave out just enough clues to make you question what's going on as there hasn't really been the concept of "haunted places" previously in the show or anything like that. It was presented as something of a side story just to provide context, while it actually laid out some key moments that came into play much later
- The crew left in Hawkins put on strong performances all across and the story made strides in making most of them likeable and generally not worthless dumbasses. Which probably means that there's going to be some deaths happening in the final episodes lol
 
AniHawk

AniHawk

No Fear, Only Math
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,164
''we're in california now'

SHOT: INDOOR HIGH SCHOOL

do they do this so as not to freak out people from the east coast and the midwest?
 
Kaseoki

Kaseoki

Unshakable Resolve
Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,291
Helix said:
nope, that was still Hawkins.
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I rewatched it and it does seem to be Hawkins. But didn't the mall get surrounded by American troops pretty much right after the laser exploded? How were the Russians able to pick up Hopper then? It would make so much more sense if they had Hopper travel to the Russian gate... leaves me a bit confused.
 
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Kalentan

Kalentan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,709
Here is a high quality upload of the Volume 2 teaser if your like me and for some reason Netflix refused to play it after Episode 7:

 
Helix

Helix

Mayor of Clown Town
Member
Jun 8, 2019
23,799
Kaseoki said:
I rewatched it and it does seem to be Hawkins. But didn't the mall get surrounded by American troops pretty much right after the laser exploded? How were the Russians able to pick up Hopper then? It would make so much more sense if they had Hopper travel to the Russian gate... leaves me a bit confused.
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yup hence my first comment. it feels really odd.
 
Dandy

Dandy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,467
The low points for this season for me were Argyle and Jonathan. The guy who plays Argyle is the same stupid character in every Netflix show he ends up on. And Jonathan is just the worst. Why is he even on the show? I feel like the only reason they haven't killed him off yet is because no one would miss him when he was gone.
 
EricTheGamerman

EricTheGamerman

Banned
Aug 12, 2019
5,159
This definitely feels like the season with the highest highs and the lowest lows so far:

  • The Hawkins stuff is some of the best content we've ever seen from the show. Steve, Robin, and Nancy continue to carry the show while Eddie is the first time they've really added a compelling character to the series. It feels like they've found more for Erica, Dustin, and Lucas to do this season and Max's major moments speak for themselves as everybody has pointed out. Pairing Nancy and Robin is a fantastic highlight.
  • Some of the backstory for El has been really solid to explore and learn some more of the lore of the world. 001 was not really surprising, but it's still relatively well done. I don't super love the way they try to put young El in those scenes and I'm glad they kept them to a minimum.
    • THAT SAID, it's rough to once again separate El entirely and focus entirely on her backstory when such an interesting part of her character was seeing her growth and struggles in normal society. Something we barely get one episode for and we're back to the same beats as Season 2, but with Brenner now.
  • The California Road Trip has been basically awful since the moment El go arrested and in general the show just doesn't feel like it knows what to do with Mike, Will, and Johnathan.
    • Johnathan was never that interesting, but he played well into the group dynamic, but so far all we've gotten from him is some amusing high scenes. But he's just background.
    • Will is frustratingly completely sidelined again like in Season 3. He pouts over change and being isolated again for like an episode and that's basically all we get besides him acting as emotional support. For a character who had so much potential and served as a critical role in the first two, it's incredibly depressing to see him also sidelined this hard.
    • Holy shit Mike has only been made unbearable every season and it culminates in them repeating his arc for a 3rd goddamn time. Have Mike be the moody, awkward teenager who acts like an asshole about the situation until he inevitably apologizes (which we got almost the exact same speech in Season 3 I swear). It made sense in Season 2 and worked there even if he was annoying, but it's really bad this Season. I get Finn isn't the best actor in the cast, but more than basically any character it does not feel like they have any idea how to write him or even give him the slightest amount of compelling content despite how much El's boyfriend should allow for.
    • Argyle was decent for the one episode as the pothead sage wisdom, but now he's ONLY a screaming caricature of a pothead in over his head. Something we already have, but 100 times better in Eddie.
    • Like everyone else, Suzie's real appearance didn't work and felt like a LOT of wasted time.
  • Robert Englund is fucking killing it as Vecna and the horror sequences feel a bit better done here.
  • The Russian subplot sounded cooler on paper than in practice, but I do LOVE the introspection it has forced on Hopper's character and Antonov has actually really surprised me as interesting to watch along side him.
    • Joyce and Murray's subplot has had a few fun moments, such as Murray's karate actually paying off... but Joyce feels even less like a character than usual and Murray ends up being such comic relief
  • The "town convinced in Satan worship in the 80s" is a neat backdrop, but really feels like it needs a big payoff to have been worth it.
  • Similarly, I hope the parents get some sort of major payoff, or at least Karen after a couple seasons of coming incredibly close to the truth.
 
Kalentan

Kalentan

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Oct 25, 2017
44,709
Dandy said:
The low points for this season for me were Argyle and Jonathan. The guy who plays Argyle is the same stupid character in every Netflix show he ends up on. And Jonathan is just the worst. Why is he even on the show? I feel like the only reason they haven't killed him off yet is because no one would miss him when he was gone.
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I do wonder if Jonathan's character at one point had a very different direction.

Cause for those that may not be aware, Steve was originally just going to be the bully who at the end died to the Demogorgon. But the Duffer Brothers liked the actor way too much and so he was rewritten to eventually grow past his bully stage to what we know him as now. So I have to wonder how much of Jonathan's maybe original arc became Steve's.
 
ArchedThunder

ArchedThunder

Uncle Beerus
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Oct 25, 2017
19,072
I'm confused about Nancy working on the high school newspaper despite having graduated and what was with Jonathan seemingly being in a high school shop class despite also having graduated?
 
Lynchian Anomaly

Lynchian Anomaly

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,300
Holy shit episode 4 was sooo good.

I know people have been generally down on the longer episodes but I actually don't mind it. It really let's the episodes breath and focus on the atmosphere. One of my problems with season 3 was how fast paced and flanderdized everything was. This reminds me much more of season 1 with the mystery and investigation stuff.
 
Kalentan

Kalentan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,709
ArchedThunder said:
I'm confused about Nancy working on the high school newspaper despite having graduated and what was with Jonathan seemingly being in a high school shop class despite also having graduated?
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Maybe sort of intern thing while they wait to get their acceptance letters to College?

Edit: Oh wait, yeah, the people who owned the Hawkins Post, where they worked in Season 3, were all absorbed into the Mind Flayers Flesh Body in Season 3...
 
Dandy

Dandy

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Oct 25, 2017
4,467
Did she graduate? S4 takes place during Spring Break doesn't it? So the school year isn't over.
 
PlanetSmasher

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
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Oct 25, 2017
115,849
Kalentan said:
Here is a high quality upload of the Volume 2 teaser if your like me and for some reason Netflix refused to play it after Episode 7:

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Ah, there we go. That pretty much disproves my "Nancy or Steve die" theory, since they're both seen together in multiple shots that take place after the midseason finale.

Dandy said:
Did she graduate? S4 takes place during Spring Break doesn't it? So the school year isn't over.
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I thought she and Steve graduated last year.
 
Kalentan

Kalentan

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Oct 25, 2017
44,709
So since we don't have Birthdays, just years, I think we can do some assumptions.

Nancy was 17 in Season 3 which was set in October(?).

Nancy is 18 in Season 4 which is set in March, so she's clearly turned 18 just on the eve of her final months of High School.

Which from my own experience is not that unusual depending on when your Birthday falls.

Edit: And so she started working at the Highschool Newspaper because the owners of the Hawkins Post were literally melted down into the Flesh Monster in Season 3. You could say that their internship was then... dissolved. :D
 
ArchedThunder

ArchedThunder

Uncle Beerus
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Oct 25, 2017
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Kalentan said:
So since we don't have Birthdays, just years, I think we can do some assumptions.

Nancy was 17 in Season 3 which was set in October(?).

Nancy is 18 in Season 4 which is set in March, so she's clearly turned 18 just on the eve of her final months of High School.

Which from my own experience is not that unusual depending on when your Birthday falls.
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Did they specify that she was 16 before? Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I thought she was in the same grade as Steve.
 
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