Season One: All Episodes

[Taryn74]

52 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

Barb is officially a teenage runaway. Unofficially, and far more accurately, she's dead as a doornail. I don't think there's any story there, other than seeing Nancy and Jonathan struggle with keeping the truth to themselves, if that's what they decided to do.

Yeah, "they" planted her car in some town or something to indicate she had run away.  She just wasn't enough of a main character for us to see her parents' reaction to their child running away, etc.

 

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Only other complaint, and I know part of this is purposeful for the tone and mystery of the show, was scenes were so dark, watching on my phone I couldn't see what was going on in some scenes and missed some things I was supposed to see, I think.  Did they reveal what the "present/not a present" was that Nancy gave Jonathan at the end?  I wasn't sure if they just didn't show it or I couldn't see it. 

It was a camera to replace the one Steve smashed.

[zxy556575]

I've been thinking more about the gents at Hawkins Lab. We know they were engaged in conducting Cold War motivated, Mengele-esque human experiments into ESP and whatnot. But my impression was that the upside-down portal and petal monster were a complete shock to them. An article in EW seemed to imply that the monster was created in the lab, but it didn't come off that way to me.

Being scientists they did send that one poor sod into the slime with a non-monster proof tether. But I wonder why they didn't try to close the portal, kill the monster, shut the facility down -- something. It's presence was endangering Eleven, if nothing else.

Anyway, I'd like to see their side explored a bit more in season 2. I don't think Modine is anywhere near dead.

[Taryn74]

4 hours ago, lordonia said:

But my impression was that the upside-down portal and petal monster were a complete shock to them. An article in EW seemed to imply that the monster was created in the lab, but it didn't come off that way to me.

I agree.  I definitely got the impression that they were shocked to realize that El was actually traveling in an alternate plane in order to listen to people, and that there were things in that plane with her.   The creature crossing over was their fault in that they had El interact with it (and thus, gave it access to our world) but it wasn't something that they created, either on purpose or by accident.

As far as we can tell thus far, anyway.  We may get more information later on that indicates otherwise.

[DrSpaceman73]

I never got the impression they created the monster. 

I am curious where it came from though

[DrSpaceman73]

I just happen to disagree. 

For one thing, she becomes a minor character because her disappearance is ignored by everyone but her best friend, while Will's is treated just the opposite by almost everyone in town involved in the story.  Its circular reasoning say she is treated different because she is a minor character. 

The sheriff has to know her disappearance is not as a runaway now.  Could at least acknowledge something from her parents or the town somehow about her death, or even her disappearance, beyond just showing she is now dead.  Even if her parents think she disappeared and even acknowledging yes she is a more minor character in the story than Will, there should be something more than just Nancy's reaction to it all. 

So WE know she is dead.  That is closure for the viewers.  But did anyone tell her parents she is dead?  Are her parents still looking for her or asking any questions about it based on what has to be some news coming out about the missing kid thought dead but now found alive?  Wouldn't make them think hey maybe there is a connection to our missing kid, especially since they specifically made a big deal in the story about how infrequent it is in this town that any major crime or missing kids ever occurs?

Still seems odd to me there was so little of any of it beyond us finding out she is dead. 

Also there is the question of why did she die but Will somehow survived in this alternate dimension?  I just don't happen to think the simple answer that she is dead brings closure to her story without more questions. 

Edited August 24, 2016 by DrSpaceman73

[Taryn74]

15 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Are her parents still looking for her or asking any questions about it based on what has to be some news coming out about the missing kid thought dead but now found alive?  Wouldn't make them think hey maybe there is a connection to our missing kid, especially since they specifically made a big deal in the story about how infrequent it is in this town that any major crime or missing kids ever occurs?

But as far as the town and her parents are concerned, she's not a "missing kid," she's a runaway.  There was no "major crime" involved to raise anyone's suspicions.  Will's disappearance caught everyone's attention because he was a 12 year old kid who just disappeared off his bicycle on the way home from a friend's house one night.  Entirely different circumstances.  It would be different if they hadn't planted Barb's car elsewhere to set up the runaway story, but honestly nobody but Nancy and Jonathon have any reason to believe Barb's disappearance wasn't exactly what the cover story said it was.  Not even her parents, apparently, which IMO indicates that maybe Barb's home life wasn't all that great.  It's sad, but for a teenage girl in a potentially unhappy home, whose best friend is suddenly hanging out with the popular crowd (the same crowd that is shunning her), running away from home was not that unusual.

[AimingforYoko]

19 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Also there is the question of why did she die but Will somehow survived in this alternate dimension?  I just don't happen to think the simple answer that she is dead brings closure to her story without more questions. 

She died because she was Alien'd right away by the monster, they got to Will before it got to John Hurt stage.

[methodwriter85]

Quote

I see he's 57 according to Wikipedia, but Matthew Modine with a mane of silver hair, and Winona Ryder as the very (believably) mother of a near grown man has made me feel old like few things ever have before.

Am I the only one who thought Mike looked more like Winona Ryder in her youth than his parents?

It's weird to watch the two of them, and think about how they were 80's teen movie stars yet Modine is about 14 years older than her.

Quote

Haven't finished watching so haven't read the thread, so apologies if this has been asked:  Anyone know how old Joe Keery is?  He plays Steve Harrington.  The first page of google hits doesn't give his age.  (If there's an actors topic, I'm not seeing it.)

I think I read somewhere he was 24.

[DrSpaceman73]

On ‎8‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 6:54 PM, AimingforYoko said:

She died because she was Alien'd right away by the monster, they got to Will before it got to John Hurt stage.

I guess that's my question though, why?  Will was in the other dimension for like a week, somehow survived, when it seems obvious not just her but anyone else in there at all gets killed pretty quickly, if the monster can get to them.  I think that is more about Will than about her though. 

On ‎8‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 0:59 AM, doram said:

She doesn't become a minor character - she was always a minor character. Which is simply defined in terms of the number of episodes she appears in, the depth and relevance of her characterisation, and her significance to the 'starring' characters.   Barb only exists to be Nancy's best friend who gets killed and ropes Nancy into the mystery. Her interaction with the story is always in relation to Nancy and she doesn't even talk to anyone besides Nancy - her presence at the pool party, her injury, even her death are the direct consequences of Nancy's arc, her choices and her story growth, not Barb's. 

 

Everything else about her is in the background - her inner life, her parents, etc. We don't have to see them anymore than we have to know the relationship status of the Science Teacher and his girlfriend or see Jonathan's father's reaction to Will's return. 

 

 

That's the only closure that matters. We're not (supposed to) care too much about her parents or what they're told any more than we're supposed to wonder if the sheriff's deputies ever got the real story about what was happening in the town or even wonder what was the 'official story' explaining Will's reappearance. 

 

The reason why she died and Will didn't was explained. He was better at hiding from the monster. She was yanked into a pool and never got a chance.

Was he hiding himself from the monster at the end when they found him semi-alive?  that was not my interpretation. 

Edited August 27, 2016 by DrSpaceman73

[Dev F]

On 8/26/2016 at 10:00 PM, DrSpaceman73 said:

Was he hiding himself from the monster at the end when they found him semi-alive?  that was not my interpretation. 

No, but he was hiding from the monster until shortly before that -- recall that Eleven remote-views him holed up in Castle Byers in the second-to-last episode, and it's only after this that the monster finally finds him and drags him to its lair. So Will has only been under the demogorgon's control for several hours by the time he's rescued.

[marcee]

Re: Lucas. Of course, I agree that he was annoying with his rationality. But, really - he was saying all the things I would normally be complaining about had there not been a rational character. Like "Guys, we need to go to the police." DUH. He's right. SOMEONE should have been saying that. And if someone didn't, I would have been bitching... "Idiots, why isn't someone suggesting you call the friggin' police?"  He was the legitimate voice of reason throughout, so I couldn't really fault him - even though, of course, I sided with the "heroes".

 

Re: Will vs Barb SURVIVOR. Like Doram said - Barb was just unlucky. She fell into the pool and in the Upside Down and couldn't get away fast enough. Once the monster cocooned her all up, it was over. He fed from her until she perished. Seems like the monster pulled Will into the Upside Down, but he's little and he's quick and he's smart and he escaped immediately and hid. And hid. And hid. He was weak and cold and probably starving by the end of the week, hiding in the Upside Down's version of Castle Byers, but he was still hidden. Eventually, the monster did find him and cocooned him up to feed on him and/or allow his parasitic offspring to feed on him (see exhibit A: gross worm sucky-thing) and it would have, likely, eventually killed him -- but mom and Hopper got to him in time to save him. Just barely, it seemed.

 

I really enjoyed the binge. I look forward to the possible second season.

[DrSpaceman73]

I just think it was more than just Barb being unlucky as the reason for her dying and Will surviving.  I don't think he is that good at hiding.  Everyone else that enters the Upside Down is pretty quickly confronted by and potentially killed by the monster. The Sheriff and Will's mom survived but there were three groups all at the same time in the Upside Down and the monster couldn't deal with them all, then El was there to save them in the school. I have a feeling we will find out in season two there is a reason he was able to survive.  Just hiding in the house doesn't really seem to me like a good enough way to do it.  The monster obviously frequently hangs out around the house. 

[EarlGreyTea]

These are the best child actors I've seen this side of Harry Potter (IRL, Millie sounds exactly like early Emma Watson, cadences, mannerisms, and all.). For my money, Millie is one of the best child actors I've ever seen in television or film. It seems so hard to find good child actors, judging by how obnoxious and/or unnatural so many of them come across onscreen. But not these kids. It's a perfect blend of good acting, good direction, and realistic dialogue. I think Finn as Mike is underrated. He has some really subtle moments where it's clear his feelings for Eleven are evolving, and it's hard for even adult actors to convey that. He and Millie have amazing chemistry. Finn carried the kid scenes pretty well as the center of the group. Plus he's so adorable. All of them seem to have tugged at the parental instincts of the entire audience.

I was saying in the other thread that I will accept any halfway decent explanation to bring Eleven back. But frankly, it DOES kind of make sense if they don't bring her back, since her story was wrapped up pretty well, if you accept that she sacrificed herself and is now dead. Luckily the Duffers seem to recognize what they have in the actress, so I look forward to seeing her back.

My wish list for season two is that when and if Eleven comes back, they don't keep her in limbo away from the boys for too long. I'd hate to wait the entire season to see her interact with the boys, like Will in this season. One thing that intrigued me is when Dustin said Mike and Lucas were best friends and he was the latecomer. Where does Will fit into that dynamic? He seems like the kid brother of all of them, but I'd like to know how long he'd known them all. Add in Eleven to the mix and we can look forward to some meaty scenes, I hope.

One of my only complaints is how one note they made Modine. I guess it's in keeping with 1980s villain tropes, but Modine certainly has the chops to have played it a little more gray. It would have been intriguing to see him genuinely conflicted over how he was treating this little girl. We did see a little bit of it, when he carried her away, but it was not enough, IMO.

Edited September 4, 2016 by EarlGreyTea

[islandgal140]

On 7/17/2016 at 5:05 PM, jmonique said:

Am I the only one who thought Mike looked more like Winona Ryder in her youth than his parents?

I was so distracted by Mike until I realized who he reminded me. People think I am crazy though because it isn't a real person. Let just say if they ever do a live action movie about the Simpsons, he would be perfect to play a young Mr. Montgomery Burns. 

I really, really enjoyed this. Just turned my brother on to this and although he only just made it up to ep 2, he really likes it also.

I never thought of the demagorgon as being a creation of El or a consequence of the DOE experiments. Wasn't the demagorgon actually eating something when El came upon it? It had its back to her and I heard what appeared to be eating sounds.  That black space I assume is some sort of perhaps negative space outside of space and time which El goes to in order to find the people the project wants her to find. For instance, the Russian is also in this space and he is seen standing and apparently interacting with others because it seems like he is talking. I have never assumed that El brought him to this space,  but that is the only way she can 'see him.' The problem is  she can't see (for whatever reason) his surroundings, who he is talking to, etc., Same with the monster. I assume she could see the monster but not his surroundings (where it was having a lil snack) and El's contact with it, introduced to our world and a new food source.   Encountering the monster was just some bad luck and tripped wires. 

I'm very interested in that hatched egg Joyce and the sheriff ran across in the UD. 

[Willowy]

What exactly do we think the Upside-Down is? An alternate dimension surely, but are we supposed to believe there's infinite numbers of diverse dimensions (as suggested by Tara in BtVS), or are we to believe it's the only one bumping up against ours?

[ShadowFacts]

3 hours ago, Franky said:

What exactly do we think the Upside-Down is? An alternate dimension surely, but are we supposed to believe there's infinite numbers of diverse dimensions (as suggested by Tara in BtVS), or are we to believe it's the only one bumping up against ours?

I don't know exactly, it's pretty open to interpretation, but I am remembering the science teacher's analogy about the baseball bat and the ants crawling on the side or underneath, suggesting there could be many alt-verses.  I guess.

The thing I'm wondering about is those newspaper clippings on the bulletin board of the police station during the Christmas party scene.  One said that Joyce is accusing the lab of kidnapping her son and experimenting on him, I think.  She and Hopper had promised not to say anything at all -- of course, Matthew Modine told one of his cohort they would never find Will, which I assumed meant he thought they'd be killed.  But the cat is out of the bag.  Another article said the coroner was arrested for falsifying an autopsy.  Pretty hard to explain that away.   So there are plenty of things inquiring minds in Hawkins, Indiana want to know.  What cover story has been given out and who came up with it?

ETA:  I may have the ant and the baseball bat as a big fat mixed metaphor, anybody feel free to correct me as to what the science teacher said. 

Edited September 7, 2016 by ShadowFacts
probable inaccuracy

[Danny Franks]

On 06/09/2016 at 10:51 PM, Franky said:

What exactly do we think the Upside-Down is? An alternate dimension surely, but are we supposed to believe there's infinite numbers of diverse dimensions (as suggested by Tara in BtVS), or are we to believe it's the only one bumping up against ours?

 

It seems like a reflection of our own dimension, a twisted mirror image. I'd be happy if the show established that there is only one other dimension (that we ever know of), and it's that dark, rotten place. Because the imagery we saw from the Upside Down showed that it is an exact copy of the world, in terms of buildings, trees, environment. Did it always exist? Was it called into being somehow by the experiments conducted on Eleven? Or did her making contact with that dimension give it the shape it had?

Regarding character lookalikes, I've been distracted by someone pointing out that Jonathan looks more like Hop than he does Lonnie, and wondering whether there's a future reveal on the cards about that. It would certainly throw a lot of balls into the air for the characters.

[iggystar]

On 7/19/2016 at 6:02 AM, marinw said:

I also loved the Science Guy who was willing to answer the boy's questions about Parallel Universes and Sensory Deprivation tanks. Remember, this was before kids could look these things up on their phones.

The number of times my 18-year old opened her mouth to instantly close it with me saying, "Remember, no Google." or "No cell phones."  It was fun since the 80's was my formative decade, but I sure felt a bit old.

[SaabStory]

Please forgive my sci-fi ignorance, but are the viewers supposed to just accept that the upside down and the monster exists, or do we care why/when/how it came into existence. Thanks

PS - Dustin rocks!!

[PatternRec]

1 hour ago, SaabStory said:

Please forgive my sci-fi ignorance, but are the viewers supposed to just accept that the upside down and the monster exists, or do we care why/when/how it came into existence. Thanks

PS - Dustin rocks!!

I think it's more of a horror trope than sci-fi in this case, the idea is that this stuff already existed and we discovered it through experimentation. 

[Ambrosefolly]

On a completely shallow note, one of the reasons Barb made me sad is because she was snuffed out before she could come into her own. If she got some better, more flattering clothes, wore better glasses and grew her hair out, she probably would have given Nancy a run for her money, (and if she lost some weight, scouted for modeling) especially with what seems like her model height. She probably is one of those people that would blossom completely in college.  The girl has a lovely face, wouldn't have been surprised if a few of her geekier classmates had a crush on her. 

[nodorothyparker]

I've said all along one of the big reasons that Barb resonated with so many people is that more of us were Barbs in high school than Nancys.  Awkward hair, awkward glasses, didn't quite have it all together yet but maybe would by college.  And almost all of us have had the experience of ending up in less than ideal situations because of a dumbass friend who wanted to get laid or otherwise do something we didn't think was a good idea but got stuck being a ride for anyway.

[janie jones]

I think the other thing that made people like Barb is that she was way better than Nancy's other friends.  She actually seemed to care about Nancy, unlike the other one-note douchebags she hung out with.

[raven]

The other thing with Barb is that the monster grabs her when she's feeling bummed out - Nancy told her to go home but she doesn't, she's a little worried about Nancy but also feeling lonely.  The other kids paired up and she's by herself.  So she didn't even get a happy moment, she wasn't having a good time at the party, etc. before being nabbed.  Next we see her she's alone and scared and then dies in a way that looks pretty nasty.   That's how it felt to me anyway - she dies alone and scared and was vulnerable in the first place because she was feeling down after trying to be a good friend. 

Plus for me it was a surprise - I didn't think she would be killed.  The show could have gone for "monster is just doing what it does, it's not really evil" but when it killed Barb, I wanted it dead.  The only other direct death we see is the scientist in the beginning, and who ares about him, LOL.

[methodwriter85]

On 9/27/2016 at 11:18 PM, Ambrosefolly said:

On a completely shallow note, one of the reasons Barb made me sad is because she was snuffed out before she could come into her own. If she got some better, more flattering clothes, wore better glasses and grew her hair out, she probably would have given Nancy a run for her money, (and if she lost some weight, scouted for modeling) especially with what seems like her model height. She probably is one of those people that would blossom completely in college.  The girl has a lovely face, wouldn't have been surprised if a few of her geekier classmates had a crush on her. 

There's been speculation that Barb was a lesbian who had a crush on Nancy based on how she looked at her in her bra, but I don't know, I read that moment as more sarcastic, "Oh, really" than Barb wanting herself some Nancy. There is a rather hilarious skit based on that concept, though.

[Mabinogia]

11 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I read that moment as more sarcastic, "Oh, really" than Barb wanting herself some Nancy.

Yeah, I saw it is Barb thinking "of course you're going to get naked with this guy" kind of disappointed that she had been used to help Nancy get laid. Never saw any indication she was pining for Nancy.

[lovinbob]

On 7/17/2016 at 5:05 PM, jmonique said:

As marin mentioned, the series brought back memories of riding a bike everywhere, without having to reporting one's every move to your parents. It really captured that freedom of being free range and exploring the world on your own.

Having read The Devil's Knot and seen the Paradise Lost documentaries (about the murder of three boys in West Memphis Arkansas, and the unjust conviction of three teenagers for the murders), I was extremely disturbed by the images of the kids on the bikes. One of the murdered boys was also named Byers, so it just felt a little too real. 

On 8/14/2016 at 5:09 AM, lordonia said:

I read a review that characterized her range as:
Episode one: My son is missing!
Episode four: My son is missing!

I didn't care for Ryder's hammy performance but agree that the script didn't give her much scope until halfway through.

I've never enjoyed Winona Ryder as an actor—her voice grates on me like nothing—but I agree that the script wasn't particularly helpful to her. When she referred to Mike as "my boy"—who talks like that? 

I loved all the kid actors. Mike is a dead ringer for my nephew--such a sweet character. I hated that Matthew Modine was a bad guy, and I really hated his weird vocal mannerisms. 

[Portia]

15 hours ago, lovinbob said:

Having read The Devil's Knot and seen the Paradise Lost documentaries (about the murder of three boys in West Memphis Arkansas, and the unjust conviction of three teenagers for the murders), I was extremely disturbed by the images of the kids on the bikes. One of the murdered boys was also named Byers, so it just felt a little too real. 

Interesting you should bring that up...I just mentioned the WM3 case on the 19 Kids and Counting forums a few days ago. I'm surprised I didn't notice that parallel; I actually lived in West Memphis at the time of the murders and trial. Think I'll try to keep imagining Elliot and the other boys from ET instead. Much less sad in the end. 

[ghoulina]

As always, I'm late to the party. I just got around to watching this week. Loved it. Love, love, loved it. 

I was born in 1980. I was almost a 70s baby, but I was late. So I would have been Holly's age during this story, but I am still incredibly fond of the 80s. I love 80s music and movies, and just everything. So the nostalgia was great fun for me. I especially loved the tupperware that Hopper put the food for El in at the end; my grandma had a whole set like that - only orange. 

Anyhow, was the show incredibly original? No. There were definitely a lot of things taken from other works, but it was so well done, it didn't matter to me. I thought the story was very well written. I like horror, but I'm not a super sci-fi fan. Give me secret government labs and MK Ultra experiments all day long, but alternate universes starts to get into a territory that is usually way over my head. But, in this case, I felt they did it in a way that mysterious enough that I felt I didn't need to entirely grasp it; but, at the same time, I felt I got the general gist of everything and nothing seemed too outlandish to me. 

The only plot whole that really bugged me was the government guys letting Hopper go after they caught him sniffing around. I was a thousand percent sure he'd be dead after he was caught. Everything else I felt either unimportant or explainable. 

The kids amazed me. It's been a long time since I've seen a show that had children as the central characters, where it wasn't super cheesy and inauthentic. The young girl who played El was especially impressive. El was easily my favorite character and I bawled like a baby when she said goodbye to Mike. I also adored Dustin. 

The teens weren't bad either. I had a soft spot for Jonathan and didn't really see him as creepy. He wasn't seeking out Nancy, to take secret pictures of her. He was out that night for other reasons. And even then I thought he started taking pictures of the hang-out, out of an artistic desire. I believed him when he said he saw Nancy trying to fit in somewhere. But, beyond that. I think it mostly done for the plot point of getting the image of the monster. 

While I like Jonathan more, I actually liked that Nancy ended up with Steve. It was the non-obvious choice, and maybe she's more like her mother than she wants to admit. 

I will admit that Winona Ryder was a bit OTT at times, but I didn't care. Growing up I FLOVED that woman. I grew up acting in community theater and wanted very much to be an actress when I grew up. Ryder was my idol. My favorite movies as a kid were Beetlejuice and Mermaids and Edward Scissorhands. So her presence, alone, was pure nostalgia. And sadness - because girl is looking old. Which means I'M old. At any rate, I loved the scenes with her and El and would have liked to see more of a relationship between them. Maybe next season?

My thoughts on the alternate universe - I think it was called The Upside Down because it was their world, but opposite. Cold, lonely, frightening. Like an evil twin.  El accidentally side stepped into it when she was using her telekinesis to spy on the Russians. I'm not sure about the monster. Was it always there, or was it created out of her own mind? Her fears? The eviler twin of Brenner? At any rate, I saw her freak out in the deprivation tank, when the wall cracked, as being what opened the gate between that world and ours. Since she was in THAT world when she freaked out, it caused an opening. That's how I saw it anyhow. I don't need a perfect explanation, because things like that are so crazy anyhow. 

I was a little disappointed that Hopper sold her out, but I understand why. The tazer was already torturing him enough to talk a bit. I bet he was afraid he or Joyce would spill anyhow. At least the way he handled it gave them some leverage. But I am curious as to why he was getting in the car with them at the end. I really hope that is touched upon next season. 

Anyhow, sorry for the long and late post. I just really really enjoyed this.

[MisterGlass]

Another late comer here.  I finished it today and found it a lot of fun.  Great casting, especially of the kids.  I can't stand kids most of the time on TV series, and I was incredibly impressed by all of them.  Lucas was a little intense and direct in his doubts, but I didn't think it was bad.  Calling the police would have been the responsible thing to do.  Is his dad the deputy sheriff?  I thought they were standing together at the funeral.

I'd like to defend Winona Ryder's performance a bit.  She was perfectly inline with the freaked out '80's scifi/horror mom.  She was equal parts Melinda Dillon and Teri Garr from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with a little of JoBeth Williams from Poltergeist and Dee Wallace from E.T.  I wouldn't mind her pulling a Sarah Connor and coming back strong and in charge in the next season.

I liked David Harbour in this as well.  I was sorry for the betrayal but the character won me back a bit with the care package of eggos and snacks (in tupperware that I completely recognize.)

ETA: Close Encounters is actually '77, but still.

Edited October 10, 2016 by MisterGlass

[Negritude]

On Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 8:18 PM, Ambrosefolly said:

On a completely shallow note, one of the reasons Barb made me sad is because she was snuffed out before she could come into her own. If she got some better, more flattering clothes, wore better glasses and grew her hair out, she probably would have given Nancy a run for her money, (and if she lost some weight, scouted for modeling) especially with what seems like her model height. She probably is one of those people that would blossom completely in college.  The girl has a lovely face, wouldn't have been surprised if a few of her geekier classmates had a crush on her. 

I IMDB'd the show after binge watching it since I didn't recognize alot of the younger actors and the actress who played Barb is actually very pretty IRL and I believe this is her first acting credit.

[methodwriter85]

On 10/12/2016 at 9:39 AM, Negritude said:

I IMDB'd the show after binge watching it since I didn't recognize alot of the younger actors and the actress who played Barb is actually very pretty IRL and I believe this is her first acting credit.

 I would love to see "Barb" play the role of Eleanor in Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park, but eh, the movie adaption isn't happening. At least for now. I don't know if her skills are strong enough for a movie lead, but physically, she's perfect for Eleanor.

Quote

I will admit that Winona Ryder was a bit OTT at times, but I didn't care. Growing up I FLOVED that woman. I grew up acting in community theater and wanted very much to be an actress when I grew up. Ryder was my idol. My favorite movies as a kid were Beetlejuice and Mermaids and Edward Scissorhands. So her presence, alone, was pure nostalgia. And sadness - because girl is looking old. Which means I'M old. At any rate, I loved the scenes with her and El and would have liked to see more of a relationship between them. Maybe next season?

Ryder looked rough in this, but that was on purpose. In real world and glammed up, she still looks great.

I do think Ryder's strength in this is that you really did believe her relationships with her sons. She pulled off maternal so well, like in that brief moment with 11 or when she's talking to Will about his drawings. The feeling I got with Joyce was that she loved that Will was different and nerdy instead of the kind of "cool guy" that I have no doubt her ex-husband was.

[jvr]

On 7/17/2016 at 9:08 AM, marinw said:

I'm three episodes in. Perhaps one of the reasons the series is set in the 80's is that children were generally much more "Free Range" than today. Even with the missing child the kids are still sneaking out and roaming around on their bikes at all hours without helmets-something that could warrant a call to CPS these days. It is also interesting how the School Bullies are seen as more an annoyance than a source a permanent trauma.

 

On 7/17/2016 at 5:05 PM, jmonique said:

As marin mentioned, the series brought back memories of riding a bike everywhere, without having to reporting one's every move to your parents. It really captured that freedom of being free range and exploring the world on your own.

 

On 7/23/2016 at 4:57 PM, KaleyFirefly said:

That's how it was in the 80s. We rode our bikes/skateboards around the neighborhood, stayed out till dinnertime.

 

Very late to watching this show though I saw people raving about it when it first dropped. Binged it last night and very much enjoyed it. Been reading the forums to see what others thought about it and the one thing I keep getting the feeling of is that 80s kids think they were the last "free range" kids (see above quotes).

I was born in '85 so I'm a 90s kid and I feel we got the best of both worlds really (gaming hitting its stride but technology not at its peak, internet in its infancy but no cell phones until late high school the '00s). I grew up in the city right outside of Manhattan, not some small sleepy town where everyone knows everyone, and we roamed wherever we wanted from sun up to sundown. The number one rule was, "You better have your ass outside this house where I can see you (from the window) before them street lights come on!" I think this is a happy medium between no worry, no care 80s lol. I remember walking miles on foot with friends to the movie theater to see rated R flicks, sometimes I went by myself and I was only 11-12 years old (ex. Titanic came out in '97, none of my friends wanted to see it so I asked for money and went by myself). Groups of us biking and rollerblading all over town miles and miles away from home, climbing trees and hopping fences and being in peoples houses my mother had no damn idea about. But we were also moving into that era of not needing to be outside, moving away from punishment being you can't go outside to I'm taking away your super nintendo/sega genesis. So my point is I feel the 90s was the real last latchkey/free range era for kids, the 00s were when all the fun died. 

Anyway, what I loved most about the show was the characters I was sure I would hate after the first ep I didn't (the Sheriff, Nancy). Favorite character was definitely Dustin, made me smile and laugh throughout. I hope the second season explains a little more without killing the overall pace and feel of the show but also leaves some things mysterious. And please stay focused on the kids and not the adults.

Edited November 11, 2016 by jvr

[blueray]

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Dustin, made me smile and laugh throughout.

Me too. Honestly most if not all of my favorite lines came from him lol.

As a kid that grew up in the 90's (I was born in 1989), I also feel like my childhood was in between this and the way kids are now. My parents (and all my friends parents) simply wanted to know who's house we were going to be at. And I generally was home by dinner. I really found myself loving the kids and their storyline. While the teens and adults were great too, I honestly enjoyed the kids the most. I really hope next season keeps the focus on them. And while I know that they are adding new characters, I hope that it continues to be about the ones developed in the first season. Especially since there are so many questions left with them. Particlarlly what is going on with Will and the slugs and of course what happened to Eleven.

[MrsBrightside]

I can't find it anymore but someone asked why Will wasn't killed but Barb was. I was talking with my friends about this and I asked the very same question. In one of the episodes, Joyce talks to Will through the wall in her house, the same wall the Demogorgon comes out of in the last episode/tries to come out of in Will's room. Yes, she may have been seeing this because she was crazy but she was right about a lot of things regarding Will's disappearance. I think when Will was captured, he wasn't eaten right away and he tried to run away. He basically was running all over the Upside Down hiding from the Demogorgon. Once Barb and the Deer had blood, the Demogorgon was attracted to their blood. Also, what puzzles me is why Will was taken in the first place. He's attracted to blood and if I remember correctly, no one was bleeding in the first time we see the boys. So why did the Demogorgon pass through?

Also, I made the assumption that the gate was the only way in to the Upside Down but you can get out in any form. But maybe I'm wrong, maybe only the Demogorgon can get in and out wherever it wants (and maybe El?).

Something my friend pointed out was that the black room that El goes into once she is in the "bathtub" is most likely the tightrope between the real world and the Upside Down in the Flea and the Acrobat situation. There's a very thin line between the two worlds. Or maybe the gate is that tightrope?

I have more questions ahh. So what doesn't make sense to me is how the Demogorgon got out at the Hawkins lab? Did Eleven bring him out? And when they sent that one guy inside that got eaten, how did they discover that gate? Is that a secondary gate in addition to the one in the forest?

Okay also when Will's little sister goes into his room, we see the Demogorgon try to pop out. But why? Doesn't he usually only come out when there's blood? What did she do to attract the Demogorgon?

And how did Will spell out the stuff on the wall? How is he supposed to control the electrics?? I thought only the Demogorgon could do that.

Okay last inquiry I promise. The box in the woods at the end of the last episode. Is that a literal box that El comes to and takes the food out or is she trapped in the Upside Down and that's like a transport?
 

Not expecting any answers, but any clarification would be nice!!

[Dev F]

On 1/7/2017 at 1:24 AM, MrsBrightside said:

I can't find it anymore but someone asked why Will wasn't killed but Barb was. I was talking with my friends about this and I asked the very same question. In one of the episodes, Joyce talks to Will through the wall in her house, the same wall the Demogorgon comes out of in the last episode/tries to come out of in Will's room. Yes, she may have been seeing this because she was crazy but she was right about a lot of things regarding Will's disappearance. I think when Will was captured, he wasn't eaten right away and he tried to run away. He basically was running all over the Upside Down hiding from the Demogorgon.

That's my read as well. My understanding is that he wasn't actually captured by the Demogorgon until the very end of episode 7, when we see him hiding in his fort in the forest and the creature destroys it. The story logic seems to be that Will is "good at hiding," which is how he was able to survive when everyone else who crossed over to the Upside Down ended up dead in short order.

Quote

Also, what puzzles me is why Will was taken in the first place. He's attracted to blood and if I remember correctly, no one was bleeding in the first time we see the boys. So why did the Demogorgon pass through?

I wonder if, in addition to being attracted by blood, the Demogorgon hunts via some sort of chase instinct -- such that running from it is another way it identifies you as prey. I think that all its non-bleeding victims are people who freaked out and ran when they saw it: the scientist in the opening scene, Nancy when she follows it into the Upside Down . . . and Will. He basically just happens onto the creature while it's lumbering across the road, and when he immediately ditches his bike and runs, the creature fixates on him and gives chase.

The Demogorgon does seem particularly fixated on Will, though. Nancy, for example, barely escapes it in the Upside Down, and it doesn't follow her with anywhere near the same persistence. I don't know if that's supposed to mean that Will is an especially tempting target for some reason, or just that when Will ran into it during its first night in our world, it was less clear about what was going on and more apt to relentlessly pursue one particular target. Perhaps later on, once it realized that the world was full of bleeding victims it could stalk at its leisure, it saw less need to go to such lengths for one small snack.

That, combined with Will's instinct for hiding rather than running, thus avoiding the creature's chase instinct, might help to explain how he was able to survive for so long in the Upside Down.

Quote

Also, I made the assumption that the gate was the only way in to the Upside Down but you can get out in any form. But maybe I'm wrong, maybe only the Demogorgon can get in and out wherever it wants (and maybe El?).

I think the idea is that the gate in the lab is the only way in or out of the Upside Down for normal folks, but the Demogorgon can cross over at will. And when it does cross over, it seems to leave behind temporary gates that others can use until they close again a few minutes later-- as Nancy does with the one it used to grab the deer in the woods.

Quote

Something my friend pointed out was that the black room that El goes into once she is in the "bathtub" is most likely the tightrope between the real world and the Upside Down in the Flea and the Acrobat situation. There's a very thin line between the two worlds. Or maybe the gate is that tightrope?

I'm not sure whether the black room is supposed to be a literal space, or whether its just a visual representation of Eleven's power to reach out with her mind and connect with specific other places and other people. After all, she's there even when she's not transiting dimensions -- when she spying on someone who's just in a different part of our world.

Though I did notice on my recent rewatch that Mr. Clarke's explanation of the flea and the acrobat talks about how the flea can walk "along the side of the rope," so I definitely think that we're supposed to intuit that the Demogorgon is moving in the space between dimensions, not just transiting from the Upside Down directly into our world. It might explain some of its weirder powers, like being able to unlock the chain on the Byers's front door from the outside.

Quote

I have more questions ahh. So what doesn't make sense to me is how the Demogorgon got out at the Hawkins lab? Did Eleven bring him out? And when they sent that one guy inside that got eaten, how did they discover that gate? Is that a secondary gate in addition to the one in the forest?

As I mentioned, the only permanent gate is the one in the sensory deprivation lab. When Eleven was in the deprivation tank making contact with the Demogorgon, she somehow created -- or allowed the creature to create -- a gateway between its world and hers.

And Dr. Brenner tells the visiting spooks that the creature first emerged from the gate, which seems to suggest that even though it could move between dimensions itself -- and almost immediately creates a gate to grab the lab guy in the elevator -- it needed to enter our dimension first through the permanent gateway before it could transit there itself.

[MsWausau]

I think was about the dullest show I've ever seen. The best parts about it were seeing old actors you don't get to see much any more.

F and that's giving it too high a grade.

[OnceSane]

I loved it.  All of it.  Even Joyce.  Because that would be me if my son was missing and/or presumed dead & I knew he was alive.  Plus, I love WR.  And I LOVED Lucas being the voice of reason & dissent.  And Dustin's wisdom amongst the funny. 

Sheriff Hopper can get it.  Joyce may realize this once she deals with the her family's psychological (& physical for Will?) trauma.  I can't wait to find out what's up with him and the suits.  I have to imagine a bit of a mini-arc there.  Plus, he was just so fierce and relentless in his search for the truth.  

I'm a child of the 80s/90s ('79 baby) & this resonated so much.  I have sisters and we had an Atari instead of D&D.  But the absolute freedom I had at 10 to fuck off & go do my own thing was astounding compared to today.  It was expected that the kids wouldn't want to stick around the house (unless we were reading/sunbathing). 

[Taryn74]

1 hour ago, OnceSane said:

I'm a child of the 80s/90s ('79 baby) & this resonated so much.

 

1 hour ago, OnceSane said:

But the absolute freedom I had at 10 to ... go do my own thing was astounding compared to today.

Born in '74 and I totally agree!  I think that's what I love so much about movies/shows set in this time period.  Just kind of reminds you of what it's like to feel that free again.

[Lamima]

Born in 73. Just binge watched it yesterday and liked it. Not my favorite show going, that would currently be Westworld, but it was a solid good show. Loved the nostalgia factor and picking up on all the shows and movies they took from. The acting was outstanding too and that's always a plus. Was an entertaining day binge watching and I look forward to season 2.

[Cowgirl]

Born in '68.  Just watched this weekend and loved it.  Winona's performance didn't bother me at all.  

One question I had was whether, when Will was using the lights to communicate the letters to his mom, if he was having to figure out the alphabet backwards, in kind of a mirror image. Then, in the last episode, where we see more of the Upside Down, I realized that maybe he was just looking at the wall in his living room from the same perspective Joyce would have been looking at. 

My lighthearted question/comment is that, when Hopper hears about the two missing hunters while he is freaking out about the bug in his trailer, he just quickly brushes off his deputies and tells them he's taking care of it.  It just made me laugh, for some reason.  We never found out what happened to them and they were never mentioned again.  We don't know if they are drunk in a cave somewhere, or if they were drug into the Upside Down and eaten by a demigorgon.  (And yes, I realize they probably were not important to the plot but, for the third and fourth missing persons in a week, you'd think there'd be more of a stir within the small town.)

My favorite bits of nostalgia were Nancy's blouse (I had one just like it, back when tuxedo and other ruffled blouses were in style) and Steven's tennis shoes.  Those shoes were practically the only pair any of us (boys or girls) wore for about three years in my small town. Please make note of the fashions on this show,  The GOLDBERGS -- I'm lookin' at YOU.  

And finally, I swear I've seen both the actress who played Mike's mom and the actor who played Will's dad in major t.v. series and movies before but, when I looked them up on IMDB they weren't in anything I'd ever seen. Weird.

[SlovakPrincess]

Just finished binge-watchng this!    

I actually really loved Joyce.  They were definitely playing with the stereotype of the frantic mother ... but then she really committed to those Christmas lights and wasn't just sitting there freaking out in a passive way, going "find my son!!  What is going on?!  Somebody tell me something!!"   She had her moments of self-doubt, but she mostly insisted on being an active part of her kid's rescue.  

I loved the scenes where she knew she was acting nuts and just didn't care -- when she bought the boatload of Christmas lights ("just ring me up"), and when she kicked Mike's mom and sister out of her house ("yeah, thanks for the casserole, you need to leave now!").  I also loved her nice scene with Eleven.  

Even when they were being annoying by all yelling at each other, I loved all the kids (including Nancy and Jonathan).  They were all so earnest -- great call back to 80s adventure movies, unlike the snarky and obnoxious kids of later movie eras.  I also loved Hopper (of course).  

3 minor nitpicks:

- Would a spoiled suburban kid Troy's age really pull a switchblade on someone???

- Did Hopper really rat out the kids' location to the feds, and if so, why?  I assume he had a reason to think it would turn out okay somehow, but they never explained it.  

- After everything Joyce, Jonathan and Nancy did to destroy that house ... how did they get it fixed up in time for the holidays?  And with what money?  

[blueray]

Quote

- Did Hopper really rat out the kids' location to the feds, and if so, why?  I assume he had a reason to think it would turn out okay somehow, but they never explained it.  

They did explain it. He gave them information on how to find Eleven in exchange of allowed access to their portal to find Will. I honestly don't blame him. They knew that Will was running out of time and Eleven (and the boys) had a good chance of escaping them as they already did before.

Edited April 12, 2017 by blueray

[Kel Varnsen]

On 11/04/2017 at 10:54 PM, blueray said:

They did explain it. He gave them information on how to find Eleven in exchange of allowed access to their portal to find Will. I honestly don't blame him. They knew that Will was running out of time and Eleven (and the boys) had a good chance of escaping them as they already did before.

And even if the kids didn't escape, the scientists just wanted to capture Eleven not kill her. Her being captured, while crappy is still better than Will being killed in an alternate dimension.

[DowntoenJudyBrown]

What Highschool Year was Nancy, Barb, Steve etc?? not as in 1983 but like Freshman, Junior, Sophomore? 

Edited June 26, 2017 by DowntoenJudyBrown

[DowntoenJudyBrown]

Curious about what colour or style of dress Barb would wear to Prom? Would she even go? 

[Taryn74]

Anyone else do a S1 rewatch getting ready for S2 coming up?

I noticed more things this time around, since I had a good idea ahead of time of what all happens, and could focus more on the details.

I'm beginning to think that the monster was finally able to find Will at the end because El went to where Will was hiding in the Upside Down, and inadvertently led it to his hiding spot.  It sure seemed to find him fairly quickly after that, when before Will's "castle" in the woods had kept him hidden really well.  The monster before only seemed to be able to track him when he was at his house or in the shed, both places that the monster had already followed him to while in our world.  That would line up with the theory that the monster could only go to new places three ways - by following El, by following someone that caught his attention (like Will did when he ran his bicycle off the road), and by the scent of blood.

Possibly a small point, but I think in Holly, Jolly when Holly was following the Christmas lights down to the bedroom, I don't think that was the monster.  I think it was Will trying to communicate with her.  And then once the lights all suddenly shut off, I think that was Will running off because the monster was coming (and it then tried to come through the wall to get Holly).

Re: what was the monster "eating" when El first saw it, I wonder if when she kills someone with her mind, their bodies go to that black place between the dimensions, and that gives the monster access to them.  I don't remember the exact order of events right now, but I think she had killed the two guards who dragged her to her room before she saw the monster for the first time.

[Quilt Fairy]

On ‎6‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 3:10 PM, DowntoenJudyBrown said:

Curious about what colour or style of dress Barb would wear to Prom? Would she even go? 

Probably not, but if she did I'm sure ruffles would be involved.

 

15 hours ago, Taryn74 said:

Anyone else do a S1 rewatch getting ready for S2 coming up?

Yes, over the weekend.  And it's just as good now as the first time I watched.  Cant' wait for Friday.

[ghoulina]

I did a rewatch last week in anticipation! I can't FREAKING wait! I agree that the rewatch was nice, because I already knew the basic concept from beginning to end, so I could focus more on other stuff. 

[amercakes]

I haven't done a rewatch yet, but I need to!  I just found out about Season 2, so excited!