"Stranger Things" on Netflix

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by davidshirt, Jul 15, 2016.

  1. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    It may not be Hopper. Some have speculated that it's Brenner. Since the target of Kali's assassin attack seemed to confirm that Brenner is still alive, that seems credible.

    Yeah, Hopper definitely went over the top, but there's no polite way to fight back against a guy like Kline and his goons. When faced with danger, Hopper panics. Fortunately he seems to do it in ways that don't complete spoil the mission, but he's still a panicky, hair-trigger kind of guy. But I found myself asking, what would I have done in Hopper's situation? The answer is, I wouldn't have done anything he did and thus I would have been dead very quickly. I think that at a certain point in the season, Hopper decided that he just wasn't coming back from this one, but he was damn sure not going to let Kline and the Russians win.
     
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  2. Pastafarian

    Pastafarian Forum Resident

    So you're telling me things happened after the credits?

    I'm making the presumption that this is only relevant to a possible series 4, if so I can't be bothered watching but tell me if it's a must see to fully understand season 3.

    If so I may need to delete all my previous posts:doh:.
     
  3. marmalade166

    marmalade166 Sous les pavés, la plage!

    Location:
    Aberdeen, Scotland
    I've heard a great theory that the American in the Russian Jail is the mad Doctor from the first series, as we found out he's still alive in series 2 and makes sense in that he is who taught the Russians how to break through to the Upside Down...
     
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  4. NickCarraway

    NickCarraway Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gastonia, NC
    I was too busy shouting (internally; my toddler was asleep) how stupid it was to interrupt this tense moment with an interminable rendition of a bleeping Limahl song by tweens, regardless of Broadway pedigree or autotune. So I didn't really notice whether Gaten and/or Gabriella were autotuned.
     
  5. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    After the credits, a new scene opens in a Russian prison. Guards approach a cell and are waved away by a superior who barks, "Not the American!" They go to another cell and grab another man who cries out and pleads not to be removed. They forcibly shove him into a cage and lock it. As the unfortunate prisoner glances around in terror, you hear a growling noise. A gate is raised and a Demogorgon enters, first on all fours, then it stands up and howls, face-open, in triumph.

    The "American" is never seen so we don't know for sure who it is.
     
  6. wolfram

    wolfram Slave to the rhythm

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    Good point.
     
  7. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    It annoyed me so much I hit FF to avoid seeing it.
     
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  8. Pastafarian

    Pastafarian Forum Resident

    Thanks for that and it looks like series 4 will hit our screens.

    What happened to the concept of a 'series', now we're sold it as a inferior 'mini- series', Capitalism gone mad.
     
  9. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I don't think it's the fault of capitalism, it's just part of the weird trend that's been going on in TV in the last several years. TV series used to be a way to tell many short stories, now they are a way to tell several big stories in bite-sized portions. Then since serial TV became so lucrative, it became sensible to up the production values and cut down the series run from 20+ episodes to >10. There are some advantages to the trend - it is far easier to watch 8-10 episodes than more than 20. Plus, at least theoretically a shorter run should lead to better quality and less throwaway episodes. When I try to re-watch old series such as Star Trek Deep Space Nine I'm kinda dismayed by the sheer number of episodes I have to watch in order to get the whole story, and then roughly half or more of the episodes contribute little or nothing to the story arc that I'm interested in. X-Files is the same way. I like the grand arc of story in a TV series and don't like having to navigate between or around stand-alone or gimmick episodes to experience it, so these 8-10 episodes "mini-series" are enjoyable for me.
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2019
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  10. Pastafarian

    Pastafarian Forum Resident

    It's already been mentioned, that someone survived, so I don't think this is a spoiler but when I was at primary school I'd go to the Saturday Cinema Club.

    A lot of the films were really old U.S.film with episodes, we'd throw ice cream at the screen when the car door opened in the latest installment.
     
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  11. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    I mean the fact that there are multiple "seasons" in general on TV is pretty much a way of stretching a story for capital gain. If anything these newer prestige TV series strike a better compromise between story and ad revenue. In the old model the show is padded out with filelr just to be on air as long as possible get more chance of exposure to more ads. Problem with that is there is soooooo much bad filler in older TV it is easy to lose interest. Now, they'd rather get people to tune in and be glued to their seats for 10 episodes (even binge it all at once) than bore them with a slower show with filler. Personally I much prefer a tight 10 with high budget to a the older loose 20 with low budget.

    Also re: Hopper:

    I get that it's total 80s movie logic and the evil Russians with unknown motive and corrupt mayor are pretty paper-thin and inspire nothing but hatred, but I guess what I struggle with on this show is believability and realism. It really strikes a balance and when it tends to tip over people notice. I know a lot of people hated that Eleven episode last season for being too silly and cartoony. This to me was the same thing, but with a character that has previously been treated seriously in an emotional sense. I think they really wanted him to be more like a John McClaine type cop this round, but I think Willis just pulls it off much better. Partially it could just be that John McTieran is a way better action director than the Duffers are, but it could just be David Harbour is not suited to this turn as well. I felt very little at his death not just because I didn't buy it, but because he was such an ass.
     
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  12. Pastafarian

    Pastafarian Forum Resident

    They're still being made and perhaps the title was a pun but Sharper Objects got it done in 8 episodes.
     
  13. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    if i had to guess, i'd say the "american" locked up isn't hopper and that we'll see some time-travel plot next season. i don't think it was a coincidence that subject came up so much in season 3.
     
  14. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    One bothersome trend I see in these kind of action plots is that the situation is contrived to have such an impossible level of peril that the only way out is for the "hero" to become a lawless, unhinged maniac. I often find myself thinking this in action movies or TV. And then once he's abducted the Mayor and etc. it's difficult to have him turn on a dime and be respectful to the people he's working with. And of course part of Hopper's disrespectful treatment of Joyce is rooted in this now-overdone "There's red-hot sexual tension between these two and the only way they can express it is by yelling at one another and only Murray the jerk-whisperer can hear it" thing. Personally, I thought the worst Hopper moment was him proudly singing along with Jim Croce after having apparently succeeded in driving a wedge between Mike and El. He bullied a kid! He left no way for Mike and El to discern what "acceptable" behavior was! Such courage! Such wisdom! What an ass! :laugh:
     
  15. Pastafarian

    Pastafarian Forum Resident

    Well they say "Dust to dust" so perhaps enough time has elapsed for reincarnation to have occurred.
     
  16. NickCarraway

    NickCarraway Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gastonia, NC
    It would make sense for the final season to culminate in a confrontation between Eleven (and the rest of the band) and Brenner (and the Russians and whatever new monster or device they co-develop).
     
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  17. Pastafarian

    Pastafarian Forum Resident

    It may makes sense but who cares anymore, they should have left it at series 1
     
  18. wolfram

    wolfram Slave to the rhythm

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    Didn't Vidiot just post that S3 broke records regarding viewership? So it seems some do care.
     
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  19. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I saw that being reported but isn't it true the Netflix doesn't publish its viewer stats? I coulda sworn I heard that somewhere.
     
  20. wolfram

    wolfram Slave to the rhythm

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    Maybe they make an exception when it makes them look extremely successful. Who knows?
     
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  21. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    That's my understanding. This talking point is really around the fact that they don't have like Neilsen rating which are open for people to see. So when they can shows like Santa Clarita Diet no one really knows if the "ratings" played a factor.
     
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  22. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Got it, that makes sense.
     
  23. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    It's true that Neflix doesn't provide access to ratings (or how they define ratings), however in Vidiot's post it says:

    "According to the company's latest selective data dump, 40.7 million member accounts have watched at least part of Stranger Things' third season".

    So, in this case it looks like Netflix itself provided the figures.
     
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  24. Pete Norman

    Pete Norman Forum Resident

    Gee, maybe it really is for kids....
     
  25. Pastafarian

    Pastafarian Forum Resident

    I know that if series 4 comes viewing figures will be very high but I was thinking about the merit of churning out TV on the basis of viewing figures rather than artistic merit. I don't want the Neverending Story, although I except I don't speak for the whole world yet.
     

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