Anfield Fox Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Thought S3 was good but not as good as 1 & 2. Spoiler Do we think Hopper died? At first I thought he was transported to the Upside Down. The post credits scene in Russia mentions "The American" but that could also be Dr Brenner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aardvark88 Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Just finished watching S2 'Stranger Things' dvd borrowed from library. Was pleasantly surprised at the character development from the S1 young cast plus intro of 'Mad Max.' S2 influenced/borrowed from 'Stand by Me' and kids on bicycles like 'E.T.' Onto S3 next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylath Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 I'd agree that Season 3 isn't good as the first two seasons, but regardless is still good for sure...What I mostly liked about Seasons 1 and 2 was that it gave a rather genuine 1980s vibe as well as giving these young characters quite a bit of emotional depth and turmoil that truly made you feel for them. So far though Season 3 maintains that "genuine" Eighties feel still, but 3 is mostly just good in the way of it being more of a sci-fi thriller now. Kind of happy to still see the show going this strong and not falling into its own cliches. Excited for the fourth season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comix4fun Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 On 7/5/2019 at 9:46 AM, Chicago Boy said: Disappointed in season 3 so far. Loved 1 & 2. Trying too hard with nostalgia and not digging the writing so far. It may have jumped the shark. Turned it off midway through episode 2. Will revisit at some point and hope it turns around You should really give it more than an Ep and a half before making up your mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comix4fun Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 4 hours ago, Skylath said: I'd agree that Season 3 isn't good as the first two seasons, but regardless is still good for sure...What I mostly liked about Seasons 1 and 2 was that it gave a rather genuine 1980s vibe as well as giving these young characters quite a bit of emotional depth and turmoil that truly made you feel for them. So far though Season 3 maintains that "genuine" Eighties feel still, but 3 is mostly just good in the way of it being more of a sci-fi thriller now. Kind of happy to still see the show going this strong and not falling into its own cliches. Excited for the fourth season! Loved season 1. Season 2's storytelling and plot made it meander in the middle and head off on tangents that didn't keep the progression very tight. It really detracted from the overall quality and enjoyability of season 2 for me. Season 3 eliminates ALL of the problems season two had with pacing and storytelling and tangents. They maintain all of the nostalgic elements, including replicating a mall in the mid-west in 1985 down the last detail. That is the type of attention to detail I've come to appreciate from the show. I agree that it gave a nod to those elements and then blew past them to become more the sci-fi/paranormal thriller series that was always hiding beneath the Star Wars toys, D&D books, and Posters on the wall. It turned a corner in season three and became a solid show beyond what a lot of people thought was a gimmick show using the 80's setting to prop it up beyond what it was. I never thought that, but I've heard, listened to it, and dismissed it as wrong long ago. The overall quality of the show (even with the dramatic increase in gore) from writing, to acting, to plotting is greatly improved from season two...mostly by eliminating weak points in writing style and story progression. They managed to move the central themes along while allowing their characters to age in believable and resonant ways that became an interesting and important plot line all its own. The handling and maneuvering of the parallel plot points into seamless integration over the course of this season was a step above what we've seen before. Comicopolis, Unca Ben, aardvark88 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago Boy Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 1 hour ago, comix4fun said: You should really give it more than an Ep and a half before making up your mind. Finished it last night. Uneven at best. Strong finish though. Winona character was unbearable. Hopper ebbed and flowed. Will watch season 4 when it drops Picked up at Ep 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comix4fun Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Chicago Boy said: Finished it last night. Uneven at best. Strong finish though. Winona character was unbearable. Hopper ebbed and flowed. Will watch season 4 when it drops Picked up at Ep 3 I think the initial reaction of fans to this season may be tied to how they felt about season 2. Everyone I know who loved season 2 seems to have not liked 3 as much...expectations being raised. I was disappointed by how season 2 was handled as I mentioned earlier, and came in with lowered expectations for season 3....and wound up loving it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago Boy Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 11 minutes ago, comix4fun said: I think the initial reaction of fans to this season may be tied to how they felt about season 2. Everyone I know who loved season 2 seems to have not liked 3 as much...expectations being raised. I was disappointed by how season 2 was handled as I mentioned earlier, and came in with lowered expectations for season 3....and wound up loving it. I thought they hit you over the head with the 80’s nostalgia as opposed to 1 & 2 where it was subtle ( but effective ). I thought the characters were more one dimensional this time around. I never found myself unable to wait for the next episode after one finished like I. Years pasr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N e r V Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) Hopper never seemed “in character” as he did the past two seasons. Not sure why he was written that way. Yes, they did push to hard this time around with 1980s nostalgia. It was a bit forced and noticeable compared to past seasons. Still I liked it overall. They used the same paint by numbers formula of groups of the characters being pieces of a puzzle that they explore until they finally meet up to finish the story together. It was that method in season 1 that hooked me so it worked here again. They did go a different path this time with the “monster” which is interesting to me. I’m waiting for the release of Quatermass 2 on Blu-ray by Shout this month but damned if this season didn’t remind me of that movie throughout right up to the end. So that aspect played very well for me right now. It was a solid entry to further the story and I’m looking forward to season 4 and the mystery of one of the characters fate from this point on. Also we need Dr. Brenner back. With all the trash on tv these days I still enjoyed this 8 episode ride. Let’s see, what happened in 1986... Edited July 7, 2019 by N e r V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comix4fun Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 4 minutes ago, N e r V said: With all the trash on tv these days I still enjoyed this 8 episode ride. Let’s see, what happened in 1986... Oh, what a golden era.....how will they choose what references to include? Movies that year: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Aliens, Big Trouble in Little China, Top Gun, The Fly, Labyrinth, Highlander, Pretty in Pink, Three Amigos, Little Shop of Horrors, Short Circuit, Critters, Cobra, Raw Deal (Who the baddie in season 3 was clearly channeling in his look), Flight of the Navigator and Howard the Duck....amongst films that would strike a nerve with 15 year olds. TV shows that debuted in '86: Alf, Head of the Class, Perfect Strangers, Sledgehammer, Pee Wee's Playhouse. 1986 was maybe the biggest single year in comics overall...as it saw: Miller's Dark Knight, Moore's Watchmen, Miller/Mazz Born Again, Byrne's Man of Steel, Marvel's Mutant Massacre, Moore's 2-part "What Ever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", Batman #400, Marvel's New Universe launched, Dark Horse Presents #1 debuted, Maus, Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters and Boris the Bear launched. aardvark88 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N e r V Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 There are many great characters in this series but easily my favorite is... I really hope he gets a more central role in the future instead of his short “advisor” roles. At least in season 1 he was a larger part of the story. He reminds me of many of the good teachers I had at that age that got me “excited” in school which sadly is a rarity.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosco685 Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) Just got done watching S03 Ep01 with my wife. We liked it. It was a nice way of easing all the previous characters back into the story without going too fast. Not going to rush-binge the show. It feels like sometimes when I do that things go by so rapidly it is less satisfying later on. Like time just shot by. Edited July 7, 2019 by Bosco685 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylath Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Bosco685 said: Just got done watching S03 Ep01 with my wife. We liked it. It was a nice way of easing all the previous characters back into the story without going to fast. Not going to rush-binge the show. It feels like sometimes when I do that things go by so rapidly it is less satisfying later on. Like time just shot by. Indeed, this season is definitely best stomached slowly anyway as the story kind of goes off on a bit of a slower pace comparably. Edited July 7, 2019 by Skylath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastballspecial Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 On 7/7/2019 at 2:32 PM, N e r V said: There are many great characters in this series but easily my favorite is... I really hope he gets a more central role in the future instead of his short “advisor” roles. At least in season 1 he was a larger part of the story. He reminds me of many of the good teachers I had at that age that got me “excited” in school which sadly is a rarity.... I agree with this. It was a golden age to be a teacher. Speaking as an ex-teacher it went down here after this decade. I had many the same that instilled curiosity in me that is still here today. I think many take for granted the fact that a good comic book reader excels at speed reading and is a skill that you keep the rest of your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastballspecial Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 I enjoyed Season 3 I liked the music better which shows are catching onto now like Umbrella Academy did. A good sountrack can really improve a show. I am looking forward to Season 4 now. aardvark88 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEnglandGothic Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Cannot wait to catch this season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentbryan Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 My wife and I will watch eps 6 and 7 tonight. Digging this season so far...I think it’s better than season 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosco685 Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 It's pretty interesting to watch this video and see a -script-to-screen demonstration how much goes into making this show. I'm not even up to this episode yet. So I cut it off after the first minute or so. Still, love seeing where the actors have to add a little more detail to make the conversation more natural. Unca Ben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comicopolis Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 Binge watched it this weekend, just finished it now, and loved it. The Terminator 'homage' was a bit excessive and I'm not sure how his 'employers' managed to get to where they were and in so many numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosco685 Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
