Television

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I'm caught up on Stranger Things now. It's not terrible by any means but for some reason it was a bit laborious for me to get through. But the payoff was pretty good.

And regarding Barry, I think I'm one episode behind, but wow that dirt bike chase scene was outstanding.
 
ranbalam said:
I'm caught up on Stranger Things now. It's not terrible by any means but for some reason it was a bit laborious for me to get through. But the payoff was pretty good.

And regarding Barry, I think I'm one episode behind, but wow that dirt bike chase scene was outstanding.
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Yeah, Barry is just doing whatever they want and it’s completely bonkers and incredibly entertaining in the process. I think the season finale is Sunday and I am excited to see how they wrap this season up. Season 3 has been excellent, I have no doubt they will stick the landing.
 
I'm four episodes into Stranger Things, and am feeling very conflicted. It's very lumpy, like a kid trying to tell a story with all their action figures, and while you can tell which ones they like best they still gotta use all of them. You can tell when the writers are having fun and spinning out ideas, and when they're banging their heads on their desks asking why the heck they even put Hopper in a Russian prison in the first place.

The show also has a problem (or maybe it's a me-problem) with its monsters; the first season was mainly a mystery as everyone figures out about the upside-down, but every season since has just felt like "whoops something came outta the upside-down."
Maybe this will change as the season develops, but Vecna (mfer looks like the grinch) feels very disconnected from any larger story and more a monster-of-the-week. Which maybe would be fine if the show wasn't also trying to expand its scope and stakes. When Jonathan and Will are caught in a shootout with the FBI(?) agent John-Wick-ing an entire SWAT team, only to escape in a stoner-driven pizza van, the tonal whiplash between Epic Action Sci-Fi and Nostalgic Hangout is really jarring.
 
Bull Shannon said:
I'm four episodes into Stranger Things, and am feeling very conflicted. It's very lumpy, like a kid trying to tell a story with all their action figures, and while you can tell which ones they like best they still gotta use all of them. You can tell when the writers are having fun and spinning out ideas, and when they're banging their heads on their desks asking why the heck they even put Hopper in a Russian prison in the first place.

The show also has a problem (or maybe it's a me-problem) with its monsters; the first season was mainly a mystery as everyone figures out about the upside-down, but every season since has just felt like "whoops something came outta the upside-down."
Maybe this will change as the season develops, but Vecna (mfer looks like the grinch) feels very disconnected from any larger story and more a monster-of-the-week. Which maybe would be fine if the show wasn't also trying to expand its scope and stakes. When Jonathan and Will are caught in a shootout with the FBI(?) agent John-Wick-ing an entire SWAT team, only to escape in a stoner-driven pizza van, the tonal whiplash between Epic Action Sci-Fi and Nostalgic Hangout is really jarring.
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100% my take so far after 3 eps.

Not just Stranger Things, but I am feeling that too many tv shows are getting way to bloated. It is like the early 90s when bands put out cds that were pushing 60 minutes with pointless bonus hidden tracks. Sometimes editing for brevity is a good thing. Each ep of season 4 of Stranger Things is just under 90 minutes, so the length of a movie.
 
jamieanderson1968 said:
100% my take so far after 3 eps.

Not just Stranger Things, but I am feeling that too many tv shows are getting way to bloated. It is like the early 90s when bands put out cds that were pushing 60 minutes with pointless bonus hidden tracks. Sometimes editing for brevity is a good thing. Each ep of season 4 of Stranger Things is just under 90 minutes, so the length of a movie.
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Is it a tv show that keeps pretending to be a movie, or is it a movie that can't stop acting like a tv show?
 
livinsmall said:
Honestly I've absolutely loved this season of Stranger Things.....feel like I'm watching a different show than some people. It's just fun as hell. A perfect summer series, to be honest.
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Agreed. It's my favorite season so far. I was worried about the episode lengths but for me, they just flew by.

For those who haven't finished the season, definitely stick with it.
 
Bull Shannon said:
I'm four episodes into Stranger Things, and am feeling very conflicted. It's very lumpy, like a kid trying to tell a story with all their action figures, and while you can tell which ones they like best they still gotta use all of them. You can tell when the writers are having fun and spinning out ideas, and when they're banging their heads on their desks asking why the heck they even put Hopper in a Russian prison in the first place.
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I agree about the Hopper storyline...

As far as Vecna: I can say as someone who struggled with enjoying this season - there is a nice payoff.
 
livinsmall said:
Honestly I've absolutely loved this season of Stranger Things.....feel like I'm watching a different show than some people. It's just fun as hell. A perfect summer series, to be honest.
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I don't mean to be too harsh on it; I'm just feeling it creak under its ambitions. I mean, I'd be a lot further into this season (it's been out what, two weeks?) if the runtimes were shorter, as I've tried to consume each episode in one sitting.

And now I feel obligated to list some of the things I've enjoyed:
  • Eddie (I completely understand why there are too many characters in this show, because they introduce some real charming oddballs, and who would want to write them off??)
  • Dustin and Steve - feels like they (and everyone in Hawkins) deserve some credit for actually dealing with danger while everyone else is off ostensibly on spring break
  • The newspaper kid
  • The Kate Bush of it all (by the time I got to it I'd seen enough headlines/social media praise that I knew what I was getting into, but it still was effective)
  • I kind of like that Vecna is a monster-of-the-week (so far) unrelated to any overarching plot; there's a version of this show where a new monster shows up every week
  • The show sometimes approaches the idea that the core friend group is growing apart, and I hope they embrace it more
  • I like Nancy and Robin's interactions; one of the great strengths of the show is mixing and matching characters
  • This was more prominent in the first episode, but I like the Satanic Panic angle this season is making overtures towards. The last few episodes have really focused on the protagonists and not the town at large, but it'd be totally plausible for the general populace of Hawkins to descend into a moral panic in the face of all the weird and terrifying stuff going down in their tiny town.
 
livinsmall said:
Honestly I've absolutely loved this season of Stranger Things.....feel like I'm watching a different show than some people. It's just fun as hell. A perfect summer series, to be honest.
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I went back and rewatched the entire series prior to watching season 4 and feel like it was well worth it. I found having the plot and storylines fresh in the mind was beneficial. I’ve enjoyed season 4 as much as the prior three seasons. It’s a fun summer watch, great popcorn TV.
 
Bull Shannon said:
I don't mean to be too harsh on it; I'm just feeling it creak under its ambitions. I mean, I'd be a lot further into this season (it's been out what, two weeks?) if the runtimes were shorter, as I've tried to consume each episode in one sitting.

And now I feel obligated to list some of the things I've enjoyed:
  • Eddie (I completely understand why there are too many characters in this show, because they introduce some real charming oddballs, and who would want to write them off??)
  • Dustin and Steve - feels like they (and everyone in Hawkins) deserve some credit for actually dealing with danger while everyone else is off ostensibly on spring break
  • The newspaper kid
  • The Kate Bush of it all (by the time I got to it I'd seen enough headlines/social media praise that I knew what I was getting into, but it still was effective)
  • I kind of like that Vecna is a monster-of-the-week (so far) unrelated to any overarching plot; there's a version of this show where a new monster shows up every week
  • The show sometimes approaches the idea that the core friend group is growing apart, and I hope they embrace it more
  • I like Nancy and Robin's interactions; one of the great strengths of the show is mixing and matching characters
  • This was more prominent in the first episode, but I like the Satanic Panic angle this season is making overtures towards. The last few episodes have really focused on the protagonists and not the town at large, but it'd be totally plausible for the general populace of Hawkins to descend into a moral panic in the face of all the weird and terrifying stuff going down in their tiny town.
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Having seen what happens beyond where you are currently in the season it will be fun to see how your views have changed (and they likely will) by the conclusion of episode 7.
 
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