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Old 05-29-2022, 06:17 PM   #1
MrYac
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Stranger Things season 4 ** SPOILERS **

finished all 7 episodes in just 2 days, really enjoyed this season and was curious what the rest of you thought. as usual Steve & Dustin's group is the standout, but i also enjoy the Russia team as well. i find 11's story pretty bland and the California group is mostly wasted time whenever they're on screen.

either way, they answered some questions i've had for a while and as much as i despise this split season crap i can't wait to see what the final episodes have in store.
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Old 05-29-2022, 09:07 PM   #2
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I'm a fan, but for me, the promise, or idea, of this show, is better than the actual show - if you know what I mean. The opening title sequence and music are the best thing about it (lol), setting the stage and vibe from the beginning. Usually, you can take a show at face value, but in the back of my mind with Stranger Things, I'm always thinking "this could be written, acted, paced, etc. so much better".

Anyway, that's a critical take. If we're just talking seasons here, imo, Season 4 was better than 3. As good or better than 2. Not as good as 1.

It's kind of funny how the groups were broken down this year. The California crew of Mike, Will and Jonathan (and the incredibly annoying Argyle) are the worst actors of the bunch, so them being together, along with their arc not amounting to much, made it easy for me to ignore.

I was annoyed to see Murray involved in Season 3, but I enjoyed/accepted him in Season 4.

Spoiler
I figured the orderly was Vecna, the instant I saw him, but then convinced myself he wouldn't be, and would only be 001 (but not both). You don't introduce a weird character like that, out of the blue, without some significant plot relevance. I thought that wouldn't turn out well, but I think it was handled alright. That is, assuming, they didn't just pull Vecna out their asses, and will do more explaining about the Upside Down and the Mind Flayer, and their relationship with him.
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Old 05-29-2022, 09:23 PM   #3
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Spoiler
yeah, that dude was being too nice and looked too creepy to not automatically be labeled evil, and i also agree that they will hopefully explain some Upside-down stuff as it almost seemed like she created it there at the end, which would be a disappointment to me. but i was happy that the lightbrite thing at least finally explained how the hell Will used the lights to talk in season 1
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Old 05-29-2022, 11:50 PM   #4
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Spoiler
yeah, that dude was being too nice and looked too creepy to not automatically be labeled evil, and i also agree that they will hopefully explain some Upside-down stuff as it almost seemed like she created it there at the end, which would be a disappointment to me. but i was happy that the lightbrite thing at least finally explained how the hell Will used the lights to talk in season 1
Spoiler
I don't think she created it but she did open the first portal to the upside down (at least that is how I interpreted it.
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Old 05-29-2022, 11:59 PM   #5
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Spoiler
Eleven creating the Upside Down is obviously a possibility that they want the audience to consider, but I am convinced that she did not. I'm also convinced that it would be an awful choice if they go that route.

Creating a whole dimension in an instant is such a leap from what we know and have seen. Much more plausible that she simply tore a rift in space-time with her rage. Which leads to more creative origins for Mind Flayer and other Demo-creatures. Also, the origins of 001 could have been better. He's simply born that way, "different"? The first one like that? But I thought the other children were 'created' in some way? Drugs, genetics, etc.? Also, pretty dumb to keep him around AND around the other children. His powers were contained, but it's not like he was mind-controlled. Of course everyone else at the facility should be suspicious of everything he does!
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Old 05-30-2022, 12:18 AM   #6
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yeah, it was a pretty clunky exposition dump. also, if any mod wants to add spoilers to the title here i don't think we need tags really
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Old 05-30-2022, 09:47 PM   #7
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I'm not a D&D guy. I like the concept and creativity/fantasy, but I'm not a role-player. But of course I love it's influence on this show.

So I was thinking about Vecna and the Mind Flayer, and the Upside Down. We still have to find out more, but I don't like the idea of Vecna being 'big bad'. First, he was human, and second, Eleven beat him once already, also sending him to the Upside Down. I'd be more satisfied with the real threat being a true denizen of the Upside Down, like the Mind Flayer (or something yet revealed). A true primordial evil, eldritch entity would be great.

The Mind Flayer would work - in fact Dustin refers to Vecna as perhaps a 'general' in Mind Flayers army, I believe. But I did some research, and there is a being that I think and hope they might reveal as the true enemy - Tharizdun.

Among other things, Tharizdun is the god of Eternal Darkness, Decay, Entropy. He was imprisoned long ago. Very Lovecraftian.

"Tharizdun was imprisoned long ago, but his prison may weaken at times, allowing his influence to creep out into the worlds beyond." Sound like the Upside Down to anyone? With Eleven accidentally opening the first portal that allowed his influence to creep out? Some descriptions of him make it sound like the Mind Flayer, so maybe that's his true identity.

I've been wondering about the relevance of the Russians with the portals/Upside Down, as well as the faction of our government that is against Eleven. Worshippers, cultists, perhaps insane? And want to see the portals open? Maybe too Lovecraftian there...

At any rate, I hope there are significant, bigger reveals/twists left for Part II, and the last season.

Oh, and random prediction: I predict Eleven dies/sacrifices herself to close/destroy the Upside Down.
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Old 05-30-2022, 11:51 PM   #8
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i feel the same way, if Vecna is the one in charge i'll be quite annoyed. as for the D&D stuff don't pay the names too much mind, the Demogorgon for example is one of the most powerful entities in the D&D world as he is the prince of demons, so not exactly to scale with the Stranger Things version.

and i too wonder how the Russia stuff will fold into the bigger story, i also am still scratching my head a bit on how Hopper even got there. did he jump through the gate right before it exploded only to find Russian troops on the other side and then they all walked back to Russia through the upside down? they really glossed over that much too quickly for me.
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Old 05-31-2022, 12:07 AM   #9
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there is a being that I think and hope they might reveal as the true enemy - Tharizdun.
Nice grab with Tharizdun...I was wondering what other D&D analogues they might bring into the show aside from Demogorgon, Mind Flayer, and Vecna...this guy seems to fit the bill really well based on that description. I agree that the Upside Down dimension almost certainly existed before Eleven's incursion...it should be some ancient dark word. I'm glad Dustin theorized about the Mind Flayer in relation to Vecna, I didn't want the Flayer to suddenly be an afterthought after essentially being the big bad in Seasons 2 & 3.

I love how the gates were handled...the water gate was a nice touch (though Steve can sure hold his breath for an indordinately long time!), and I loved the dynamics of the trailer ceiling gate. And yeah, how did Russia even become aware of the Upside Down, need another exposition dump The episode lengths jumped quite a bit...the avg episode length during the first 3 seasons is about 53 mins, this season is at 78 mins!
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Old 05-31-2022, 12:23 AM   #10
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Russia having a gate i think is proof that the Upside Down existed before 11, otherwise she created a universe so large that it has it's own Russia
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