Stranger Things (Netflix) TV Show • Page 53

Just. Like. That.

 

Just tell me when season 3 is happening

 

Easy peasey.

 

I always knew Samwise was not strong enough to survive the trip.

 

The comparison to Brick is fairly spot on, I think. I couldn't really care less about the nostalgia elements in the way the show is like "hey look! it's the 80s!" and I think it'd be an equally compelling series if set in modern day. That said, the way it channels the vibe of 80s childhood/sci fi films is a strength, and a valid use of nostalgic elements to tell this kind of story. I suppose there's an argument to be made that the world doesn't need another 80s Spielberg movie in 2017, but I've never really liked the notion that at some point we hit the limits of a genre and any future installments are merely derivative copies.

Another thing I've been thinking - anyone else feel like the Netflix dump a whole season at once model isn't going to last forever, or at least not as such a hard rule? I think a show like this dominates a far greater part of the entertainment conversation if it drops in 2-3 chunks spaced a couple weeks or a month apart.

 

Being set in the 80’s also just helps their story.

Like, in season 2, if they all had cell phones it would have been a very different story. Or they would have to come up with some dumb reason they don’t work. It’s far cleaner to just be in a time where it’s harder to stay in contact.

 

I wonder if Jonathan is going to get into Minor Threat once 1985 hits

 

Heh, it may have its flaws, but I always loved that kind of shit in That 70s Show. It's just funny to see characters set in the past reacting to "new" music/pop culture

 

‘Stranger Things’ Season 3: The Duffer Brothers Promise ‘Weirder,’ More Character-Centric Stories

 

https://www.avclub.com/stranger-things-2-keeps-its-strong-female-characters-1820280840

good piece/criticism

 

Good article, though something I noticed this season is that a lot of characters are separated and paired off. It lead to a lot of interesting dynamics, like Steve and Dustin or Hopper and Eleven, but I would definitely like to see more female-female interactions in future seasons. I was a little disappointed to see Eleven and Max not get along, but I chalked that up to adolescent dramatics.

 

Yeah that’s been at the forefront of my mind since finishing season two. We’ve seen this group of boys work together over the last two seasons. It would be awesome to see Max and Eleven team up and be besties and fight evil together.

 

crying

 

Okay, I have a problem with this.

I get the issue that the writer is underlining on a broad scale, but I don't understand using Stranger Things as a launching pad. It goes beyond gender sensitivity into nitpicking. The writer touched on this, but it's a show about middle school aged boys, written by two younger men with a nostalgic bent for 80's movies about middle school aged boys. It's what the Duffer Brothers know. There's naturally going to be less female representation, at least quantitatively.

And even then, what they lack in quantity they more than make up for in quality. Joyce, Nancy, and Eleven might be the only girls in their respective groups this season, but they're also (arguably) the strongest characters in the whole series with the exception of maybe Hopper. They're all so strong and layered. Joyce continues to be mother of the freakin' century, Nancy is arguably tougher than either Jonathan or Steve (and keeps getting further and further from the trope set up for her at the beginning of season one), and Eleven is Eleven. She's the hero of the whole story.

Also, I would've loved to have seen Joyce and Eleven together more just like the writer but Eleven was gone most of this season and, if Hopper and Joyce end up together which they most likely will, Joyce is going to become Eleven's mother and there's going to be an amazing bond between the two of them in the future. Have a little faith in where the writers are going with these characters.

I just think ignoring the strength of these characters for the sole reason that they don't interact with each other is silly and completely counterproductive to what this article is trying to accomplish. If the Duffer Brothers operated on that same logic, they'd put female characters into the story to cater to people instead of organically writing amazing women into their script. That would be a lose-lose for good writing AND for equality.

I'm not saying Stranger Things doesn't have any flaws, much as I love it, I'm just saying what this article highlights is NOT one of them IMO.

Edit: Also, deeply sorry for a long-winded post about a pretty inoffensive article. I have way too much time on my hands today.

 

I can see it now: episodes where Mike gets jealous and picks a fight with Will because he's with Eleven so much due to their parents being together

 

Haven't read the article yet but there is definitely criticism in regards to female characters and how they're written. Just one of those things where there's a moment and I'm like ....yep, a former nerd boy totally wrote this. And not in a positive way. It doesn't ruin the show for me or anything but it's there. Like when Nancy is talking about how dumb girls are that age for not wanting to dance with Dustin I'm like okay which male is working out his adolescent insecurity rn.

 

Also theres always room for improvement so i dont see why there’s a need to completely bash an article that just wants an already-good show to be more inclusive

 

Or maybe that's just the most natural thing a mature teenage girl would say to comfort her little brother's friend while also reflecting on how she was at that age. Who really knows?

Point is, I think we should be careful not to let our cynicism blind us to the depth that's already there. These are badass women and that's worth celebrating and giving the Duffers credit for. And if the writing begins to exhibit blatantly misogynistic behavior and they don't address it then screw 'em. Seeing how much the show is dependent on strong women, it would die anyway. But let's see if more inclusivity happens naturally instead of basically trying to get the Duffer Bros to wave a sign saying, "Look at us we're inclusive." That isn't even inclusive, it's lip service.

Again, really wasn't trying to start a debate over a harmless article. And I'm not really saying anything profound myself. If the article does spark something positive that's terrific.

 

Mhmm

I don't see the point in waiting around because it maybe might be addressed in the future. I'd rather people critique the show and its flaws asap to not only hope to catch the attention of those involved with the show but to encourage others to question things they maybe wouldn't have noticed or thought about before. I personally have not seen anyone calling the show misogynistic trash or anything like that, but I have seen many women fans of the show point out portrayals or dialogue they felt could be improved by more female input - which any piece of media could be improved by. I cant imagine that anything negative would rly come from that so I am glad for the discussion the article has/will spark.

 

Hmmmm... your response to the “harmless” article was super over defensive and kind of weird.

 

I was just trying to add in some perspective as to where the writers might actually be coming from and taking the time to praise some of the shows strengths in the area that the article was criticizing. It was probably unnecessary. My apologies.

 

Just to wrap this up with a bow if I may...

My point wasn't to silence any criticism or thoughtful discussion about gender equality just because I like this show, if that's the concern. My point was to not let our thirst for more equality ironically keep us from really seeing and appreciating the women in this show. But no one here is arguing against there being strong women characters in this show so my point is unnecessary and, like everything I type in these forums, way too long-winded.

Can we return to our regular broadcasting?

 

I'm halfway through S2, I'll finish it but I'm just not feeling it like I was with S1.

 

One more episode left for me. Absolutely loving the season. Gonna finish up the season tonight!