CCTC

I was largely distracted that Bratt was stupid and desperate enough to find and resurrect Slrappy. Did it seem like they made him a completely different character to justify him bringing back the dummy? They showed him being quirky and odd when possessed, but the little we saw of him prior to that he seemed pretty normal -- how he interreacted with Ben and the students was completely different from his desperate need to be included in this last episode. The human Slappy seemed pretty creepy. I wonder if they will resolve everything within in the finale or if they will be setting things up for a second season.

I did not mind that filler, although, if they were limited to a two or hour block, they really could have done it and finished the story with the ending they wanted. I do think the first handful of 4B episodes of calling of the week could have been eliminated or condensed. They really lucked out with the actor who played Cal who seemed like he was child Cal grown up and able do some of the heavy scenes.

I was under the impression that she was bi but gravitated more towards women especially for longer-term relationship. Although that is more speculation on my part. I think a lot of the Ben connection was more intellectual and as friends with some physical attraction and their tryst was just that bubbling under the surface at a time when they were feeling vulnerable after being under duress for a long period.

I have no issue with TJ moving on, and it is not like he and Violet were immediately going off on a date, it just showed that there was more for him besides Olive. For a real short-term character, I really liked Violet, so I was glad to see her get a nice send-off. Plus, I did not get the feeling that he and Olive were necessarily great soul mates. Just a young college-age couple that might or might not have gone beyond them working together on trying to solve the callings (or a real-life analogy -- once they graduated and moved on from focusing on a shared class). I was trying to figure how much of the final scene was CGI de-aging or old footage or good make-up. The only thing that seemed a bit off was Sanvi's wig.

The show was not exactly perfect, but it had a few things going for it that made the ending effective. From the behind-the-scenes glimpses and interviews, the cast and crew really seemed to like each other. I think that showed up in some of their own screen chemistry. The characters really seemed to care about each other which made some movements genuinely moving, such as when Vance and Ben said goodbye. The show was good at using its history and getting early season guest stars to return and become recurring characters. By the time the series wrapped up you cared about more of the passengers than just the main characters when the reunited with their family members at the end. It was a nice touch to have TJ bump into Violet. The TJ - Olive scene was also a nice, needed dose of bittersweet - a reminder of somethings that will be lost in going back. The Jared - Michaela break-up was maybe a little too pat to be realistic, but they did kind of seem like the high school couple that still liked each other, but really were not a good match any longer. Him still thinking of her as a girl he needs to protect, whereas he seemed to treat Drea more as a partner. Even though she was not a passenger, I would not have minded Director Zimmer making one last appearance just to turn into ash. I also would not have minded seeing Dr. Gupta realize she had made some mistakes either (did not want her turned to dust - just to realize some of her arrogance). Although she was not really off base on her concern about Sanvi playing God - it would have been nice for her to realize she was doing the same thing. When Michela saw her Mom, I had a flashback of her reaction to her being dead in the finale. The actress really has improved since then. There are definitely things to make fun of and mock - but will be more positive today.

I am a little late to the game and finally watched this. I won't say too much, since this thread is pretty much archival at this point. I am largely in agreement with a lot of what was said on this thread. Way too many mustache twirling villains. I thought the husband had potential to be a gray character or at least have a few shades - but he had no redeeming qualities. I kind of thought the finale would end with him being murdered, because he had made a lot of enemies or will once he double-dealings come out in the open. I am ok with weak acting and obvious soap plots from time to time if the story is entertaining, but it is not like there were any unexpected twists. The vapid writing and acting then seemed at odds for when they tried to bring in the more serious rise of the brown shirts. They showed a growing attraction between the son and Constance, but not enough where she had to leave the room when he announced his engagement (I doubt she felt they would get together at that point) or enough for him to do a 180 and go through with the engagement when he found out she had a child. Did we ever see Alice have any interaction with her child? Even in the finale when she interrupted the tea party, the daughter does not even say -- "hello Mommy". She is upset about her brother's interest in her, but no mention of - I don't want my daughter with her. Another character who could have possibly been interesting if they would have spent some time developing her before making her a major spoiler in the finale. Ok -- that might have been more time than I should have spent adding a comment to a dead thread....

I am kind of under the impression that through the 828 magical connections - Eden always had some sort of connection to her Dad which is why they had shared callings and he connected to her drawings, so I can kind of see how she would reconnect with him after spending some time with him. It probably was too quick and abrupt of a pivot though. I would have loved to see Violet stick around for a while. I am guessing no, but wonder if the show will address why the callings directed Micheala to bring such a destructive character into their lives.

I really like Drea and am glad she is still on the show - but worst mole ever. Makes you wonder about the competence of the registry that no one picks up that she is constantly talking to someone who was demoted due to his 828 loyalties and is not even supposed to be in the building, that she was partner to an 828er, and she is hovering whenever a Stone is in the building, not so subtly whispering to them.

Ben is an idiot, but to give him some credit, the reason he went off on his own at the end and ditched Vance is that he felt guilty when he realized how much Vance had sacrificed. Stupid move, but it did seem like he did have a moment of clarity of how his actions were affecting other people. I do agree people acting like idiots is a symptom of lazy writing that is way too common on this show and many others. Yes - I think this webpage has probably lost people with each change of name etc. Probably does not help that people post comments live in other ways. Also, adding a detailed comment is easier to do when only when show is on once a week. When a half a season is released, and you end up watching a couple of episodes or more in a row, you are less likely going to post about each episode. I know there are times when I just post on the final episode, and then there are times when I don't watch a show for a few months after the release and not worth commenting, because the thread is no longer active.

Just part 1 - there are more episodes that will air next year (they are already filmed).

Yes - there was a little Big ickiness to it -- but they at least kept it pretty innocent as if it was a fairly chaste high school date (including music that played when I was in high school). If I remember correctly, Tom Hanks actually had sex with the woman in the movie. Creepiness factor aside, it was nice to Cal have fun and the actor did a good job of capturing the magic of the first date - first kiss etc. I really liked the actress who played Violet, but I knew once she mentioned she sheltered Angelina that she might not make it out of the episode.

I will say the scene where Angelina walks in and grabs Eden while giving Ben a cold look and then ignoring him was a quietly cruel moment from her. It probably showed how dark she has become more effectively than some of her big theatrical moments.

You know the show is not perfect and has some issues, but I enjoyed it. It is some fast-paced popcorn fun that has embraced its craziness. The cast also really meshes together well. In interviews, the cast says how much they enjoy each other and feels like family, and I think that actually might be more than the normal PR. There is something genuine about the chemistry between the characters and how they seem to care about each other. It is fortunate, they did a good job with the Cal recast. That could have really sunk the lifeboat so to speak if he would not have worked. I have to admit, the Michaela - Zeke phone call got to me a little bit. The Stone family have not had the greatest luck the last few finales. I thought there was a good chance Zeke would not be alive for the series finale, but thought he would be there close to the end until they started dropping the anvils. Now I suppose there will be a Drea-Michaela-Jarrod triangle. Nitpick about Drea - would her new employee really hire someone who was a partner of one of the more visible 828ers or at least not watch her more closely? Police related, I missed their old boss, the female captain. I do think the show is pretty good about bringing back characters and situations and events from previous seasons. Well except for Lourdes and Danny... I did not see Gupta's final entrance, and technically, she was not exactly wrong with anything she said.

I was kind of under the impression she already knew and they had talked about it and she was just giving Drea a bad time -- "yes - I recognize that coffee place - I know what you were doing wink wink." Otherwise, I think Drea would have had a different reaction. Zeke must really be raking it in with his counseling job which looks like for a non-profit which have been known to pay high salaries, especially for someone who does not have a graduate degree in counseling.

I wonder if there was more planned for her in the original 6-year plan. I am glad they least they acknowledged it.

I normally don't binge shows and usually don't watch more than two or three episodes within a week - closer to 1 and 2. For some reason, I did binge this one and should finish tomorrow. I think the flow of the show just works for that. The show still has its flaws, but I think it is better under the Netflix. I am not sure if there is less network interference, more money, or the writers had to focus knowing there are only 20 episodes, but feel it is tighter. The new Cal is a good recast. He captures some of the child actors persona but is old enough to handle the heavy dramatic scenes and comes across as pretty likable. The flashback scene where he breaks down alone the night of the murder did really seem like he was a little boy trapped in an adult body. I can see why people might think Dallas was over/bad acting, but is nice to see a male lead of a popcorn action adventure show not be all tough and stoic all the time. He did seem like he was gutted at times and deep in a depressed stupor at other times and nailed the cold delivery of someone acting like a jerk trying to drive his family away. General observation - I think Melissa's acting has improved since the first season.

I am pretty sure Anakin went evil for having to recite the dialog written for his love scenes with Natalie Portman (I cannot remember the character's name - might be time to rewatch the movies..). Bad writing made him go to the dark side.

It is too bad they did not do more with David and Hook than replay the same cycle of distrust to trust about three different times and then forgetting they were friends or close to it and repeating the same arc. The two actors worked well together, and once Goodwin checked out, they might have been some of the more interesting scenes for Dallas. In general, I think Goodwin is probably a better actor than her husband but feel like he was still putting in an effort until the end. At least they remembered that they were no longer episodes a few episodes later for the finale. The Hook Charming beanstalk adventure might have been one of the highlights even if it ended up being pointless. It did make me think at the time of how they had totally gotten away from having any fun fairy tale adventure scenes. One scene that stood out for me in a mediocre season, was the opening scene they did at the opening of the episode after Heartless, where there was no dialog, but you saw Charming and Snow alternatively awake in their apartment reading the notes they left for each other. I am not usually a fan of the music soundtrack or montage scene, but it was effective and showed real consequences of the curse, At the time, I might have had some hopes for things improving, because the Queen really was more ruthlessly evil and not camp in the previous episode, and this scene showed some real emotion. Alas, I was wrong. The talk about Emma and Snow and not resolving the issues that were addressed in season 2, made me think for some reason Emma seemed to have a warmer relationship with David than Snow. Nothing in the script or plot to suggest that was true, but there scenes just felt more heart-felt for some reason. Except for season 1. The one thing that caught my attention when I rewatched that was - wow - Emma and Mary Margerat actually used to interact and have conversations that were not just hope cliches.

This is pure speculation, but is it possible that while Angelina is a crazy kidnapper, but did not kill Grace but they just want us to believe that she did? Did we actually see her with a bloody knife? I suppose I could go rewatch the finale. Having her at these conventions, makes me wonder if they are going to do a redemption arc with her, which would be harder to do if she did actually kill Grace.

They probably should have done that at the end of each season, but they you would have had no more show... I do think the show got weaker each season, but within this season, I think it hit the low point when Bode was a brat the entire episode and taunted Dodge in the past. I don't know if because the subsequent episodes were shorter, but they moved pretty quickly and was able to ignore most of the stupidity more. Gideon himself was really not that bright, so they were pretty well matched in a way. There were also a couple of things that I thought were interesting like the arc of their Dad's killer and Gordie's mind shutting down as his life flashed before his eyes poignantly showing a not always happy life. Their deaths also added a little weight in showing the loss and why they needed to get rid of the keys. I liked most of the epilogue, but it probably could have been shorter. I think I could have done without Kinsey and her boyfriend who I never really cared about and Tyler and Montana girl. I wish shows did not feel they needed to rush or force a coupling because that is the main way to give a person a happy ending. They could have just showed them getting ready to move on with their life post and monster fighting and post high school. Plus, can't you just focus on a brother and sister transitioning from bickering juveniles to two adults siblings who like and respect each other. Shouldn't there have been demon seeds jumping out of the portal with a bullet like speed like they did in the cliff where Eden and the Captain originally got shot and possessed?

All these posts about how stupid Bode was and none of how unlikable he was as well, between his hissy fits about his mom having a date to his smugness when he not wisely revealed himself to past-Dodge. He is not someone you feel like cheering for at this point. And really, was anyone asking for more Dodge, not that I am surprised she is back. I am guessing Eden will be walking out of the surf in a future episode as well. It would have been interesting to see what snarky reaction she would have had if she had woken up while they were singing. I would need to look at the shot again, but I am not even sure she would have hit the water. I feel like she would have hit a lower part of the cliff and then rolled -bounced down and ended up tangled up on the shoreline.

I admit, I enjoy the show for the characters, the nostalgia feel, the atmosphere which includes some genuinely spooky moments, but when I think about it, the Upside Down world has never made a lot of sense to me. I wonder if when the series finale is done, if everything will make sense. From some of the Vecna stuff this season, it does seem like they do have things plotted out and where everything will be revealed to fit together by the show's end.

A lot to process and am too tired to write anything in detail. I will say the show normally uses humor well to crack the tension, but there were a few times in this episode it seemed a bit out of place (I really am hoping for Argyle to not be in next season). However, one of my favorite scenes: El's earnest line reading of "I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer." and Max's reaction. I hope with everyone back in Hawkins, there will not be so many split story lines next year. That aside, this was probably the most I have enjoyed the show since season 1. Be interesting to see how the can carry it through the final season, since it is going to start on such a dire note. Hopefully, we will find out before 2025. Hopefully Max will not be in a coma too long, the actress is too good to spend her scenes just lying there.

At some point in the last year or two they announced they were going to do a season 5, but that will be the final season. So the next one really will be the final season. Hopefully it will be released before 2025....

Molly Ringwald was the first thing I thought of when band girl turned and looked at Robin. I am guessing from the look on her face she would rather be with Robin but has not fully come to terms with her sexuality. Not only did Noah act well in the car scene, but it was also really well-written. I thought it captured what a lot of kids go through when they realize that they are not going to live the life that they learn from birth is normal. This was when hardly anyone was fully out, there was no gay marriage, and you did not see same-sex couples as parents. Having a homophobic moment be used as comic relief on TV or a mainstream movie was shrugged off as normal. Jonathan's looks in the van were the first time I thought, maybe he can serve some purpose this summer. While Argyle can be funny, he really is not needed and of all the kids, seems like he is only there so they can check off an 80's film stereotype, and has been given no depth other than doing the comic stoned reaction. (Kind of the same way the whole way the Soviet Union adventure is just to click off that movie cliche even if it does not really fit into the story well). The time they spent on Argyle, they could have shown a moment of two of Will and Jonathan having a brotherly moment etc. Kudos to Matthew Modine, there was part of me that felt a little bad for him when he died without receiving forgiveness, although El was still more kind to him than he deserved. He really was an evil twisted perverse man who would rationalize anything by saying he was doing it for their best interests. I would be surprised if Steve does not make it to the final season (guess will find out soon), although not that is has been pointed out, it does have the something someone to be later repeated as he lies dying "we will get that RV wont we Nancy" as she nods trying to hide her tears.... I feel like it was more to advance or thwart getting back together with Nancy. Now next season, who knows.... Just to add to the chorus - really good use of the Journey song. Just the slight tweaking they did to it was really effective.