EarlGreyTea

Derick's tweets about his "job" are the embodiment of "the lady doth protest too much." Someone secure in himself and in the truth wouldn't bother trying so damn hard to convince people that is a contributing member of society. Thanks for confirming your grifter status, boo. And for reminding us that, like you and your family, we are all living rent-free. Inside your head.

Bootleg Snooki! Lmao! Great Value Snooki. Diet Snooki. Bargain Bin Snooki. Anyway, Bootleg was way too smug telling poor Annie about David's past. Some part of her liked devastating Annie. It's clearly deep, deep anger towards her father, but Christ. She sure didn't sugarcoat anything. I came into this season late - was Annie really a prostitute? It's been mentioned in earlier threads.

I think it's amusing how, like many foreign language learners, he picks up a pet phrase and uses it constantly. For Andrei, it's "and that's it." It's pretty funny and fits with his no-nonsense personality. Molly and Luis - no words, except that as a stepchild myself, I think forcing love and a connection between stepchildren and stepparents is not the way to go. Let them start out with respect, with civility, with friendship. When my stepdad first came into my life, I called him my guidance counselor because he helped me with driving, with financial planning, with other life skills. He did not try to force love and, in doing that, love did grow. But what am I saying? None of the people on this show inhabit Planet Reality.

Constant contact with Andrei aside, Elizabeth's phone being taken away made me livid. Who the hell are these assholes to be taking away someone's property? Perhaps it's the only child in me speaking, but I would have called their bluff and left right then and there. I thought that WAS what she was doing when she dragged her suitcase into her room. It was amusing to me as an only child, again, that they forgot their spat minutes later. I'll never understand that dynamic. Having said all that, Elizabeth really shouldn't have gone on the trip, because clearly laying out her expectations in advance did fuck all. Apropos of nothing, her hair looked really nice curly. If there is a hell, Molly's voice is being piped through the loudspeakers 24/7.

Putting him with Dustin, the most likeable character of the younger set was genius and did a lot for his character. Steve's storyline was pretty neatly wrapped up when Nancy ditched him, and he could have easily gone to Offscreen Land. There is something so amazingly earnest in Keery's performance that shined through even in early S1. I don't know if he was directed to play it that way or if it's just Keery's personality; I lean toward the latter. I'll go one better and say he had the better storyline than Nancy this season - a core character who is related to another core character at that. They did her a disservice this season by marooning her out in a storyline island. I liked that his girl advice to Dustin totally backfired, as it should have.

I'm a runner, and Andrei has the oddest form I've ever seen, kind of like a colt (although I'm not one to talk about good form). Having said that, it was nice seeing them run together and just generally enjoy each other's company. Azan must be pea green with envy. It was pretty refreshing seeing a fiance concerned about not being able to work and budgeting. I get the sense that Andrei hates not working and hates not being the main breadwinner, as the man in the relationship. What does Chris do, besides bankroll David? We never hear a damn word from him. I bet much of the sponsor drama is producer-driven, but it's still pretty legit. If Chris really left Nikki in the dark, that's shitty. Does David have a pee tape of Chris? I fast forward Azan and Nicole. It is no longer entertaining. It is just plain repulsive to watch their story.

And it wasn't mentioned in the article, but I'm betting we won't see S3 until 2019. They've barely opened up the writers' room for S3 last month. So by the time they start filming it may well be early summer or maybe late spring. Then post-production and promo, and probably the earliest we're talking is January 2019. That is going to be a LONG wait. Something I read elsewhere about S3 was interesting. It's time for cast to re-negotiate contracts, and there's word that Millie may negotiate separately from the other kids (I think they all made the same for S1 with the exception of Schnapp, who got a raise for S2). It makes a lot of sense, and God knows she does much of the heavy lifting, but to be a fly on the wall in that room! Personally I'd have advised them to go the Friends cast route, where they all negotiated together for equal pay. Very different circumstances, of course, but it seemed to create parity and more cast camaraderie. With the popularity of some of the kid actors over some of the others, I hope negotiations don't create any ill will or resentment between them.

I can accept your fanwank. I think it's a really good one, especially since Nancy was trying so hard to appear normal. But she did crack pretty early in the season, although by then she and Jonathan had moved onto their storyline island and there was probably no good time after that. I guess it's important to remember she is also a teenager, and being empathetic and comforting to her (until recently) distant younger brother may have been asking too much of her. But I'm a sucker for a good sibling relationship on TV. Why bother making them related if you're going to waste it? I'm rewatching the MadMax episode, and I notice when she first makes her appearance, Mike totally checks her out along with the other three boys when she first sits down in class. As I mentioned earlier, I think what really boils Mike's bunny is that he doesn't object to Max at all. He probably is downright attracted to her, and mix that in with all the guilt and grief over the missing Eleven - and you end up with a hostile Mike. I did like that he was rightfully impressed with her driving skills. I bet she'll be the main driver in S3. I can see her stealing Billy's keys. I did like that as much as the boys came on too strong with stalking Max, and she tried to act tough, she showed up for Halloween anyway. She was secretly pleased to be included. I like that she shared their interests too.

Mike is the friend you want in your foxhole. Kid may be average when compared to Eleven, but I think his own personal superpower is his extreme loyalty to his friends. He pretty much singlehandedly headed Eleven off at the pass from becoming Kali (yeah, yeah, Hopper and the others had a lot to do with it too, but I'm not a huge fan of the Hopper/Eleven relationship. Like, at all). I think Mike won't give two shits that Max is now in the group, now that he has Eleven back, and I hope they wrap up the whole Mike/Max misunderstanding by the first episode. in fact, I'm really curious to see if Mike'll basically devote all his attention to Eleven once again, like in S1. Except now he'll be devoted to helping her integrate into normal life, and now Lucas won't be as upset because he has a girlfriend now too, and now Will is safe and sound. I'm really excited to see how the entire group interacts together. They have never all been together at once. How will Mr. Clarke deal with the fact that Mike is now dating his Swedish cousin Eleanor? lol

Thinking more closely about the Harry Potter comparison, Mike seems like he'd be the Ron Weasley. Normal, average, with an underlying resentment towards Harry for his uniqueness and fame. And Ron's normal existence is what draws Harry to him. So I can see Eleven/Mike/Will functioning in that way in terms of a possible friendship tug-of-war: Mike resenting the Will/Eleven shared experience, with Eleven in particularly cherishing Mike's normalcy and the stability he offers. So I can see some real tension in S3 - because Mike can be prickly and jealous - but overall I think we'll end up with an even stronger friendship with those three in particular. Not sure where Dustin and Lucas fit in. For all that Lucas was resentful of Eleven taking Mike away from him, those two spent little time together. I also thought the Mike/Nancy relationship was criminally underused. They had improved their relationship by leaps and bounds last season, so it was a rare misstep on the show's part that she didn't notice what he was going through. After he stole the money from her I was sure they'd have some kind of heart-to-heart, but it didn't happen. Hilarious. I still say the genuine spark between Max and Mike was natural chemistry between the two actors. Shows simply beg for this type of cast chemistry. There is not one misstep in terms of friendship dynamics, the standouts being, of course, Mike/Eleven and more recently Dustin/Steve. What I did like about the gym scene was that Max wasn't remotely threatened at all; she was simply fascinated by the idea of another girl in the group, one with powers at that. It makes Eleven's later rejection of her even harder to watch.

Great post! On the surface, his rejection of Max from the jump would be puzzling. Even Dustin and Lucas don’t seem to get why another girl joining the group would be painful to Mike. Although Lucas does call him on the hypocrisy of it all, no one seems to acknowledge that the poor kid is struggling. Wolfhard does subtlety really well. I think the perfect illustration of the shift is when Max comes along for Halloween. Dustin and Lucas are hanging on her every word, walking alongside her in front of the rest of the group, oblivious to Mike’s silent fuming. It’s almost a perfect mirror of S1 when they’re all walking in the woods. Mike and Eleven are up in front and he’s hanging on her every word, with Dustin and Lucas trailing behind, the latter upset about the whole thing. How about them apples, Mike? I will also add that like Harry Potter, Mike lashes out in a big way this season as a way of letting out all his trauma. His mom’s recitation of his laundry list of misdeeds was sad. And yet neither parent cares to look a little deeper as to why he’s suddenly angry all the time. Capslock of rage Harry, meet Emo Mike.

Excellent post. This struck me as well when I first viewed the season. Mike doesn't dislike Max one little bit when he meets her. To me his tantrum about her coming along for Halloween was a classic case of the gentleman doth protest too much. He likes her, all right. Of course not to the same extent as his feelings for Eleven, but it's there. I don't know if Sink and Wolfhard were instructed to play the gym scene as such, but there was a natural spark that showed up anyway. I noticed that by the time eavesdropping Eleven realized what was going on, Mike had finally begun smiling at Max. Had Eleven never existed, I have no doubt Mike would have also been one of Max's suitors. And since he displays the same kind of deep empathy towards Eleven that Lucas displayed to Max, I have no doubt he'd have given the other two a run for their money in the Max sweepstakes. And had Eleven truly been destroyed at the end of S1? It may have gone differently indeed. Still, I'm glad there was not a full fledged triangle between Mike/Max/Eleven. The second I heard about the casting for Max, I feared that's what would happen and sure enough, it was hinted at this season. Luckily it was just a plot device to keep the characters apart. It would have cheapened Mike/Eleven, and a lesser show may have gone there. I'm glad they didn't. Mike strikes me as a classic Harry Potter type. The two could get together for coffee, because both of them have this deep need to save others. What strikes me is that Harry, like Mike, seems to have no idea who he is when he's not saving the world. It's both an asset and a liability. Agreed, and frankly I'll be disappointed if there ISN'T some sort of tension between Mike/Will/Eleven for reasons mentioned. I think the jealousy will mostly be on Mike's part. We've already seen that Will and Eleven are the dearest to his heart, and I can't see him taking it well that Will and Eleven have a unique shared drama that he does not. He doesn't seem to take it well when it becomes apparent that one of his loved ones doesn't need him. And since Brown and Schnapp have repeatedly asked the Duffers for actual, substantial scenes together in S3, I think we're finally going to get the Will/Eleven friendship that so many have asked for. I am actually very curious to see if their close offscreen friendship comes across onscreen. It may be that they completely rival the chemistry between Brown and Wolfhard. Another thing that will piss Mike off, heh.

I got a kick out of him calmly stirring his drink while being interrogated by the sisters. Steady, calm, and gave no shits. Didn't even say he was nervous to meet Elizabeth's dad when she asked. And it was refreshing to hear that he had savings and talked about needing to budget. Also, did you all notice the giant smirk on his face when Elizabeth told her dad she'd happily live in Moldova? Hilarious. He enjoyed riling them up. I'd have a downright crush on him, but some of what he says about women and relationships gives me a little pause. But whatever, I'm not the one marrying him.

My absolute favorite character on the show. He was very much the Elliott to Eleven's E.T. in season one. It was touching to see him completely welcome her into his world. I loved his idea of being a gracious host - stealing Eggos for her, giving her his sleeping bag, offering his parents to her. For me, he is the heart of the younger kids' group. Which isn't to say that the kid isn't flawed. He has jerkish tendencies (see: treatment of Max), and I thought that was a nice touch. The Duffers sure understand how preteens work. Are we allowed to post spoilers here? If not, here's some stuff from S2: Season two really gave Finn a chance to stretch his wings. The difference between S1 Mike and S2 Mike was stark. It was subtle, and he was relegated to the background for the second half of the season, but I enjoyed seeing his slow descent into a kind of mental breakdown, culminating in his screaming match with Hopper in "The Gate." No one really seemed to notice how traumatized he was. I was pretty disappointed that even Nancy didn't seem to pay much attention to the poor kid, to say nothing of his parents. Finn also proved he has real potential as a romantic lead. The kid knows how to stare longingly at someone, which is half the battle when it comes to romantic pairings. They push the Mike/Eleven pairing so hard that I'll be surprised if they DON'T end up marrying the two off at the end of the series. It was a small moment, but Mike sleeping on the floor next to Will's bed was adorable. Such a sweet friendship. Of the entire set of younger characters, they seem to be the closest, excepting Mike and Eleven.

Evelyn is so very 18. Can't entirely blame her for not being fully mature, but damn does she grate. I'm closer to David's age, and no way would I ever get with an 18 year old for the selfishness and tunnel vision alone. I also simply cannot imagine letting my spouse leave his country and refuse to give anything in return. I'd worry he'd be downright resentful at every single family event and milestone. I would at the very least consider moving to the nearest metropolis. What bothers me most about her singing voice is her total lack of enunciation. I had no idea what she was saying. Ariana Grande may be able to get away with it, but not you, Evelyn. In the immortal words of Rihanna to Ciara: "Good luck booking that stage you speak of." I was in Antonio's corner the entire time, until he went into the kitchen. He went totally off the deep end. David was totally out of line with his comment, but Antonio acted like he stabbed his sister right in front of him. No need to resort to threats of violence. And the person Antonio was trying to help - Annie - was clearly distraught and yelling at her to make better choices was not helping. It's true, but could have been said more kindly. What's his name - the friend hosting David - should have put his foot down a lot earlier than he did. His wife clearly dislikes having Annie and David (moreso the latter) in their home. David must know where every single one of the bodies are buried to justify all this generosity.

I didn't like Andrei's putting his foot down re: the bachelorette party. Red flag, although I suppose his experiences as a bouncer explain why he feels that way. Having said that, I also get that the strippers thing is a HUGE issue with many couples. Total hot button issue. I admit I'm probably blinded by how intensely hot I find Andrei. Having said that, CHRIST were Elizabeth's sisters annoying. It was the female version of the inquisition he faced from her father and brother. Someone mentioned it in a previous episode thread: I think Elizabeth did Andrei a big disservice by talking about him before he arrived and not letting the family form an opinion without being influenced. Hilarious seeing him stir that drink while being bombarded with questions. Overall Andrei and Elizabeth seem to have an intensely physical relationship. They remind me of Russ and Paola from season one. Those two couldn't keep their hands off each other, and the dynamic seems similar here.

Let us all remember how pretty good Derick and Jill looked only 3 years ago.

Yeah, the way she was written out was downright vindictive and sloppy. I also don't think her dad was supposed to be Simon's killer in the first place. It seemed like a retcon of major proportions. It ensured Ophelia could never come back, and she was written off abruptly in the first place, with Liam getting her that audition. They could have just left it at that.

I, too, expected the reunion would happen by the first or second episode. By the time we hit episode three, though, I knew we were going to have to wait until the finale. It was too much of a buildup to happen mid-season. I was pretty peeved when it began dawning on me that we weren't going to get the Adventures of El and the Boys (with special appearances from Max). I was going to say I couldn't picture Eleven willingly leaving Mike, but that's exactly what she did when she saw him and Max, so maybe it could have gone the way you mentioned. Speaking of - since the next time we will see the kids most of them will be driving age - does this mean no more bikes? Much of the charm was seeing the kids on their bikes. To see them in cars, natural progression though it is, will be really bittersweet.

The list of cast and crew who signed their names to this letter: Interesting to note that following actresses who signed it: Merritt Patterson (Ophelia): explains a lot about the rather abrupt and frankly cruel way she was written out Lydia Rose Bewley and Hatty Preston, who played the cousins. Didn't one or both leave after season one too? Jerry-Jane Pears I think played one of them after the plastic surgery. Sophie Colquhoun, ditto. She played Gemma. Tom Austen, who is particularly close to Alexandra Park, has also commented:

Some cast and crew of The Royals have written their own letter today with their own allegations against Schwahn. I think it’s mostly crew, but guess which of the actresses signed it? None other than Merritt Patterson (Ophelia). I didn’t recognize any of the other names, there may be other actresses who signed. This may explain a lot about Merritt’s weird departure from the show. The poor woman. I always liked the character. Stick a fork in him, he’s done.

Someone on a different board mentioned that Kali should come to Hawkins and get together with Steve. This is now everything I never knew I wanted. It brings Kali to the main action in Hawkins, hopefully without her annoying ass crew, and draws Steve even more into the main action. Having said all that, the main cast is already bloated, so it will probably not happen. Also it's kind of hard to picture grounded-in-reality Steve with Kali. They kind of already have that with Mike and Eleven.

A bunch of the One Tree Hill main female cast members wrote a letter about his sexual harrassment and manipulation during his tenure on the show. Bunch of the male cast members have come out in support of the women. News just broke that he is suspended from The Royals. Poor women. He's probably done for good as showrunner.

We finally have a return date: March 11. I don't remembering it premiering so late before. Kind of disappointed. I liked watching it during the holiday season for some reason. I hope Mark Schwahn will be out as showrunner based on the accusations from the One Tree Hill cast. Knowing this, Eleanor/Jasper is even ickier than it already was.

For real. Even if it's just the funnies, it's a step forward, as many of them are fairly sharp (what low standards we have for these people). I don't think Jinger and Jeremy are boring at all, and are downright interesting when compared to people like Jill and Derick. I think of all of them, they have the most potential to be the lead couple on the show. They have a lot going for them: being in Laredo away from the circus, Jinger's popularity and image as a "rebel," lack of kids, and Jeremy's relative worldliness. And not to be shallow, but they're the most attractive couple of all of them. I would be a downright fan of them if Jeremy wasn't such a homophobe. As much as I like them, it's important to never forget they are Dericks in better clothing and more attractive faces.