I know what you're saying, and it'd be nice if the scene were set at an Aladdin's Castle or other well-known arcade chain of the day, but I give this one a pass. It's sort of like when phone numbers in the movies start with "555". Plus, the inside was well done (except the Dig Dug high score screen) and the feel was spot on. I had those exact same thoughts as Dustin about Dragon's Lair being a waste of money while looking incredibly cool. And the competitive juices that flow after seeing a high score top yours were real.
the idea that gets thrown around in almost every TV show thread here is "if you don't like it, just stop watching it (instead of critiquing)" which is pretty tiresome.
I find that it's an appropriate response when the same person comes into a thread again and again and again to make disparaging remarks. I don't get folks who don't like something but feel the need to continually remind everyone else that they don't like it. I don't like Bob Dylan, but I don't feel the need to go into a Dylan thread and tell everyone how much I don't like his music.
Thank you that was the point I was trying to make. I stopped watching the Simpsons about 10 years ago after being a fan since the Tracey Ullman show in 1987. I don't wish it goes away just because I stopped watching it. Not everyone has to see a series through it's completion. You are free to bail whenever. Viewer numbers talk so clearly it's still connecting with folks so why should it end because a few folks are sick of it.
Like the SNL thread . Every week someone says. "It's done, it's not what it was, it needs to end." My god ...STOP WATCHING THEN! Clearly enough people like it and it makes headlines practically every week so it's connecting with folks, A good response if you don't like it anymore is i.e "This season sucked, I'm going to bail out." or "Season 2 is not as good as Season 1. They lost me so I'm not going to watch." Then it's done. You posted your opinion and that's it if you aren't a viewer anymore. I'm done with Neil Young as of a few years ago so I'm not going to participate in future threads on his new releases. He lost me but that doesn't mean he has to stop making albums.
When I say "It's done!" the reason I say it is because I enjoyed the show and don't want it to become a tiresome 5-7 season slashed budget shadow of it's former self, on its third show runner and with only two of the supporting cast left in it by season 4. Sometimes you really don't have to flog a horse to death. Just leave it be in the pasture to see out it's days with dignity. I'm a fan of preserving the good and not driving it into the ground.
I keep reading about throwaway episodes or even a down season 2 here, but I must have watched a different show, because I thought season 2 was fantastic across the board!
One reason: he's all she's got. And I think Elle understands the intensity of the ongoing threat of the government trying to pull her back to the lab. The Duffer Brothers recently said on a panel discussion that they're just now working out Season 3 and are not 100% sure they're even going to do that. But the actors are contractually obligated to do 4 seasons of 8-12 episodes each. I think four and out would be reasonable, but I wish they would do a full 12-episode season. At this point, the Duffers have the power to do damn near anything they want to.
As to season two (especially that stupid and needless 7th episode), to quote SNL's infamous critic and culture vulture, Leonard Pinth-Garnell: "There now, that wasn't very good, was it?"
If you remove episode 7 it shows that they didn't really know how to shoehorn El into the plot of the second season. Take out episode 7 and all El does of any importance is in 5 minutes of the last episode. All the rest (wilderness/shack/momma/sister etc. ) is of no importance to the main plot at all. The difficult second season.
There is more to the show than just the mechanics of defeating the monster. The development of her character is just as important.
If ep 7 was with the punk kids then it certainly was necessary for the plot-line . If it was something else I can't recall any single episode a waste.
Character development is important, but I didn't see any in S2 with the core characters, that was over and above what was shown in S1. The only exception I can think of was Steve Harrington when he teamed up with Dustin, which is probably why that sub-plot worked much better than anything else in a lackluster S2.
And Mike became ...a little creepy, actually, in the way that his friendship with absent-El looked to be veering into obsession.
I think 12 episodes would be warranted if there's enough story, but so far they've kept each season pretty economical in terms of storytelling, and they haven't needed 12 episodes. I look at Walking Dead as a good yardstick for this kind of thing: 8 episodes of plot in a 16 episode season makes for a lot of padding and silly contrivances.
Sadly true. And some of the shows wind up being very empty, just total filler. A couple of the Marvel Netflix shows have been like that: 8-9 solid episodes with a decent story, and then it kinda runs outta steam. I swear, Twin Peaks could have been 8 hours long (instead of 16) if they just cut out all the b******t.
Just finished watching Season 2. It was good, not as great as Season 1 IMHO, but that's maybe because it's no longer a novelty. I was expecting more from the finale, however. After setting up this towering demon baddie it turns out to be nothing more than the smoke monster from Lost? And it got kinda Aliens there for a while with both the presence of Paul Rieser and the tracking the critters through the tunnels; surprised that no one said "Game over, man! Game over!" at some point --Geoff
The Duffers have admitted there are about a hundred little easter eggs here in there for hardcore fans to discover.
There was a Tangerine Dream track playing towards the end of the final episode ... I think it's from Poland? I don't have my CD handy so cannae be sure ... --Geoff
Finished it. I liked season 2 better than season 1. It was darker & a little more aimed for adults, I thought.
