Stranger Things on Netflix

corplhicks wrote:

So far I'm loving season 2. They're doing justice to course-correct some of the issues of the first season. It's still far from perfect (and I do admit an griping issue of how the mob mentality is that this show is flawless), but there's way more stability and suspense this time around.

...and through EP:2 (which is where I'm at), they've seriously upped the ante on the soundtrack. I love period pieces, which do a great job on the pop culture that existed at that time. For myself, it's just like stepping outside a time machine as it pertains to everything which was 80's culture. I love this show for that reason alone!

Just finished it last night. It was all pretty much perfect except for that very strange episode that everyone's been pissing on. I didn't think it was terrible, just felt out of place, yet necessary for a character arc.

Here's a little something I threw on a Facebook reply about the series:

One of my biggest quibbles with season 1 was how safe they played the Lovecraftian elements; it was all rather predictable and, as enjoyable as it was, didn't hold any sheer surprises for me whilst leaning a bit on cliche crutches.

I can say with confidence that this is in NO WAY the case with this season haha. I hadn't a clue where the story and character arcs were headed, and the tension was almost unbearable in places. Especially after a certain character death unexpectedly arrived and I realized that no one is safe this time around.

Intense is dead on, and holy hell is the payoff at the end a perfect summation of that.

corplhicks wrote:

Just finished it last night. It was all pretty much perfect except for that very strange episode that everyone's been pissing on. I didn't think it was terrible, just felt out of place, yet necessary for a character arc.

Here's a little something I threw on a Facebook reply about the series:

One of my biggest quibbles with season 1 was how safe they played the Lovecraftian elements; it was all rather predictable and, as enjoyable as it was, didn't hold any sheer surprises for me whilst leaning a bit on cliche crutches.

I can say with confidence that this is in NO WAY the case with this season haha. I hadn't a clue where the story and character arcs were headed, and the tension was almost unbearable in places. Especially after a certain character death unexpectedly arrived and I realized that no one is safe this time around.

Intense is dead on, and holy hell is the payoff at the end a perfect summation of that.

You had to love the ode to Aliens. When the "Stay Frosty" line was used, the hair on my arms literally stood up, not too mention the sound of the motion tracker. That whole scene was great!!! The fact that Paul Reiser was a part of the cast, made it even better.

I finally got through Season 2 over the weekend. I dunno. Just didn't care much for it. I really enjoyed the first season and was looking forward to season 2, but I just felt like it was a chore to get through 8 or 9 episodes.

Can't put my finger on what exactly it was that bogged it down for me, and I really wanted to like it, but nope. Oh well.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I finally got through Season 2 over the weekend. I dunno. Just didn't care much for it. I really enjoyed the first season and was looking forward to season 2, but I just felt like it was a chore to get through 8 or 9 episodes.

Can't put my finger on what exactly it was that bogged it down for me, and I really wanted to like it, but nope. Oh well.

I'm curious as to whether or not it's a generation thing. I was talking to someone else around your age and he agreed that the show just wasn't spectacular for him because he didn't live that decade as a kid. In fact, his case went even deeper when he admitted how much he hated the 80's. Meanwhile for me, a kid who begged Santa for toy Ghostbusters gear in the mid-80's and fell in love with that era, the show really hit several different sweet spots--more effectively in season two, for that matter.

Totally hoping you don't take this as me saying you're an old fart or anything (hell I'm feeling that way with two boys to tow around), but perhaps ST's pastiche isn't exactly relevant to your childhood? Which would be understandable, but I could be wrong.

corplhicks wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I finally got through Season 2 over the weekend. I dunno. Just didn't care much for it. I really enjoyed the first season and was looking forward to season 2, but I just felt like it was a chore to get through 8 or 9 episodes.

Can't put my finger on what exactly it was that bogged it down for me, and I really wanted to like it, but nope. Oh well.

I'm curious as to whether or not it's a generation thing. I was talking to someone else around your age and he agreed that the show just wasn't spectacular for him because he didn't live that decade as a kid. In fact, his case went even deeper when he admitted how much he hated the 80's. Meanwhile for me, a kid who begged Santa for toy Ghostbusters gear in the mid-80's and fell in love with that era, the show really hit several different sweet spots--more effectively in season two, for that matter.

Totally hoping you don't take this as me saying you're an old fart or anything (hell I'm feeling that way with two boys to tow around), but perhaps ST's pastiche isn't exactly relevant to your childhood? Which would be understandable, but I could be wrong.

I'm 47, and loved the show, and loved the 80's, so there goes your theory lol

corplhicks wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I finally got through Season 2 over the weekend. I dunno. Just didn't care much for it. I really enjoyed the first season and was looking forward to season 2, but I just felt like it was a chore to get through 8 or 9 episodes.

Can't put my finger on what exactly it was that bogged it down for me, and I really wanted to like it, but nope. Oh well.

I'm curious as to whether or not it's a generation thing. I was talking to someone else around your age and he agreed that the show just wasn't spectacular for him because he didn't live that decade as a kid. In fact, his case went even deeper when he admitted how much he hated the 80's. Meanwhile for me, a kid who begged Santa for toy Ghostbusters gear in the mid-80's and fell in love with that era, the show really hit several different sweet spots--more effectively in season two, for that matter.

Totally hoping you don't take this as me saying you're an old fart or anything (hell I'm feeling that way with two boys to tow around), but perhaps ST's pastiche isn't exactly relevant to your childhood? Which would be understandable, but I could be wrong.

Nah, I'm just as much a kid of the late 70's/ early 80's. I loved the retro feel of the series. That didn't bother me in the slightest. I guess I'm just not much of a fan of the sci-fi, horror genre overall. The first season was something new and interesting. The 2nd season just didn't have the same appeal to me.

I am an old fart though. Bah!

corplhicks wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I finally got through Season 2 over the weekend. I dunno. Just didn't care much for it. I really enjoyed the first season and was looking forward to season 2, but I just felt like it was a chore to get through 8 or 9 episodes.

Can't put my finger on what exactly it was that bogged it down for me, and I really wanted to like it, but nope. Oh well.

I'm curious as to whether or not it's a generation thing. I was talking to someone else around your age and he agreed that the show just wasn't spectacular for him because he didn't live that decade as a kid. In fact, his case went even deeper when he admitted how much he hated the 80's. Meanwhile for me, a kid who begged Santa for toy Ghostbusters gear in the mid-80's and fell in love with that era, the show really hit several different sweet spots--more effectively in season two, for that matter.

Totally hoping you don't take this as me saying you're an old fart or anything (hell I'm feeling that way with two boys to tow around), but perhaps ST's pastiche isn't exactly relevant to your childhood? Which would be understandable, but I could be wrong.

For the most part, people are going to have different viewing experiences, but I guarantee you that Stranger Things has a stronger appeal to those of us whose formative years were the decade of the 80's. So, yes, it's a generation thing. Whether one is on the fence with sci-fi or not, Stranger Things is a show that does a beautiful job with all the pop culture references. I thought the soundtrack for season 2 was great, but that was just part of it. One of the scenes that had me smiling from ear to ear was the first scene at the arcade. Yes, that was a place that had video games, where our parents used to drop us off at with our rolls of quarters on a Saturday afternoon, when they wanted us out of the f*cking house! The usual suspect games were in that scene, but to pick a game like Dragon Slayer was brilliant. That game was so ahead of its time back in the day. It was like watching an animated feature. I remember having the same feeling with my friends as the characters in the movie, which was how difficult this game was and that there was no way anyway someone could beat it.

I think one could go on and on, regarding the litany of pop culture references, but I won't. This isn't the first time I've brought this up on this site or have talked about it with my friends at great length, but those who call the 90's their decade, hate the 80's, because secretly they're beyond envious of the decade. Enough time has gone by, but how many movies or T.V shows reference the decade of the 90's? It's a decade that had promise, but I think fizzled out fast. My musical pallet runs deep, but I will go on record saying that the last half of the decade of the 90's was quite possibly the worst ever when it came to music and the cinematic arts didn't fare much better. The whole Generation X culture, who so badly wanted to relive the 70's and present this false narrative on how bad they had it, was beyond grating. Though it might have had its roots in the 80's, I think the 90's began the rise of the entitled. Though I enjoy our advancement in technology, I think those who grew up in this 90's are the first that was truly dependent on it! The 80's represented what was really the last bastion of creating ones own adventures/fun. It was really the last decade of imagination and where it can take you. I lived outside as a kid. Can a kid of the 90's say that? It was the first decade, where kids didn't have to leave their room, because they had everything at their disposal. I would say that the 90's was overrated, but since it's not really celebrated like the 80's, that would be pure hyperbole.

I hope to start the second season this weekend.
We watched the whole first season in one weekend