S02.E09: Chapter Nine: The Gate

[SeanC]

This was already fairly apparent from the first season and the media/fan reactions, but the second season absolutely drives home that the kids are the dominant force on this show.  The first season segregated the characters by age group, but this season split people up more based on whatever worked for a given thread, the cumulative effect of which was to allow the kids to dominate almost every storyline.  A lot of this is a numbers thing, since between Will being a real character this time around and the addition of Max, there are now six kids amongst the primary characters, more than the primary teen (3) and primary adult (2) characters combined.  The only plot strand that didn't involve the kids at all was Nancy and Jonathan's side-quest to get the Lab shut down.

[MaggieG]

I finished my binge and I loved this season. The relationship between the kids continues to be the best and I hope there will be more of that in Season 3. The only misfire for me was episode 7, I liked Kali well enough but I didn't care for her gang of misfits.

I loved Nancy continuing to be badass with ripping the phone out of the wall and getting her gun ready. Also, dancing with Dustin at the end. I was crying!

Enjoyed meeting Dustin's mom and Lucas's family. Erica is a little spitfire :)

I think my favorite thing about this season was Steve and I wasn't expecting that at all. He definitly developed most as a character and I loved the big brother/little brother dynamic he and Dustin have developed. I hope that continues in Season 3. Babysitter Steve and Steve standing up to Billy to protect the kids. Also taking lead down in the tunnels. Getting all the kids out of the tunnels and grabbing Dustin when the demidogs starting running by.  My heart! I saw something on Twitter saying that in season 1, Nancy didn't deserve Steve but in season 2, Steve didn't deserve Nancy. While I like Nancy, I kind of agree lol. Team Steve!

[thuganomics85]

Love the finale.  Glad that pretty much all of the main characters had something important to do andI enjoyed how everyone got grouped up with Hopper/Eleven going off to close the gate, Joyce/Jonathan/Nancy getting the "virus" out of Will, and the hilarious group of Dustin/Steven/Lucas/Max/Mix distracting all of the creatures by burning the tunnels.  Good job, everyone!

The final scenes were nice and sweet.  While there are a few logical quibbles about Hopper adopting Eleven, I do think, despite his clear inexperience and flaws, he has what it takes to be a good father, although I do hope a year from now or whatever, they bring back her mother and aunt into the foil.  But I think Hopper is more capable of raising her with her powers compared to her aunt, who seems to have an idea about it, but I don't know if she would really know what she is getting into. But any reason to have more of Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour together is great with me.

The prom scenes were great.  Max basically having to be the one to ask Lucas to dance, poor Dustin getting rejected until finally Nancy helps him out (as long as it doesn't end with him developing a crush on her, although I really wouldn't blame him), "Zombie Boy" getting asked for a dance, and then, finally, Mike and Eleven. As someone who normally cares less about romance on television, it's bizarre how much I've grown to love Mike/Eleven and root for them, despite how easily relationships can fall apart at this age.  But I hope those two make it!

I do hope this is the last time Will ends up being the one to suffer.  It was nice seeing him get a more prominent role this go around, and Noah Schnapp showed that he is just as great as the rest of the younger cast.

Oh, Steve!  I sadly think the ship with Nancy as long sailed and he still has questionable dating advice, but he has become one of my new favorite characters.  He can be daft at times, but he's a good guy!

Billy still seems one-dimensional, but I guess he is being set up for bigger things.  His scene with Miss Wheeler did show a new, manipulating side to him.  Also, how sadly little they used Cara Buono this season.

They did get Justice for Barb!

Dr. Owens survives and shows once again that not all doctors in a sinister government organization are evil!

Overall, I enjoyed this season and compared to the first, it had some stuff they did better and others it didn't.  Definitely think the biggest offense was keeping Eleven away from the group for so long and some characters having to take a backseat for various reasons like Miss Wheeler, and, surprisingly, Mike and Joyce seemed to have less to do this go around.  But I love how it all came together at the end and some of the new aspects and bonds (never knew how much I wanted Steve and Dustin teaming up!).  Max and Bob (RIP) were great additions too.  And, finally, the young cast is simply one of the best and I can't wait to see them hopefully get even better in later seasons and other work.

Another fun ride from Stranger Things!

[Laurie4H]

I think part of the reason this show is so good is because the cast is great.  Don’t know if it’s just pure luck or they audition many actors to get the chemistry right....but they are all likable.  Plus the dialogue is real for the most part.  It’s isnt contrived....like when you can tell it’s the writers trying to be overly witty.   It’s natural.

[EarlGreyTea]

2 hours ago, Laurie4H said:

I think part of the reason this show is so good is because the cast is great.  Don’t know if it’s just pure luck or they audition many actors to get the chemistry right....but they are all likable.  Plus the dialogue is real for the most part.  It’s isnt contrived....like when you can tell it’s the writers trying to be overly witty.   It’s natural.

This season cemented the reason why the cast won the SAG award, even against more critically acclaimed shows. Cast chemistry is invaluable. I recently watched another Netflix original, Friends from College, and the cast is completely devoid of any kind of chemistry and as a result, the show doesn't work at all. The actors try too hard to sell it; you don't buy that those characters have been friends for 20 years. But not this show. You can completely buy that these kids are friends, even newbie Max. Even their arguments and squabbles are rooted in realism. It helps enormously that the kids are friends in real life.

Even the kids' families work for me. Lucas' family was a pleasant surprise, and of all the parents, I liked them the most and they seem to be the most attentive. Although that's not saying much.

Give the casting director a Lifetime Achievement Award.

[Mrsmom]

Finished watching last night and I have one question.  Why was the  investigator in a wheelchair as he watched the trucks leave the lab?  Or did I dream that scene?

[Vella]

2 minutes ago, Mrsmom said:

Why was the  investigator in a wheelchair as he watched the trucks leave the lab?

He was sitting in a lawn chair, enjoying the view.

[Mrsmom]

Shoot, I just rewatched that scene and realized it was a lawn chair!  Thanks Vella, you beat me to it!!

[raven]

5 minutes ago, Vella said:

He was sitting in a lawn chair, enjoying the view.

I laughed when that one soldier flipped him off :)

The actor playing Rob Lowe clone Billy kind of took me out of things.  He looks like he's in his late 20s, though when I looked him up, he's 22, a year younger than Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan and can pass for 18ish.

[Paloma]

6 hours ago, MaggieG said:

I saw something on Twitter saying that in season 1, Nancy didn't deserve Steve but in season 2, Steve didn't deserve Nancy. While I like Nancy, I kind of agree lol. Team Steve!

I think they (or you) meant the opposite--Steve did not deserve Nancy in season 1, but Nancy did not deserve the (evolved) Steve in season 2. My opinion of Steve was completely reversed from the beginning of season 1 to the end of season 2.

[mmecorday]

I cried the whole way through the dance scene at the end. That was so very authentic I could practically smell the Love's Baby Soft cologne. Hop's tenderness toward Joyce was so sweet and I'm glad that she has his strength to lean on, even though she demonstrated many times during the course of the season and the one before that she can be a force to be reckoned with.

The Exorcist-inspired scene with Will being purged of the Shadow Monster was horrific. Watching his mother's determination to rid her son of it and his brother's emotional breakdown witnessing what it was doing to him was gut wrenching.

I thought Steve and Dustin were goners when it looked like they were about to be overrun by the demo-dogs. I'm thinking that the only reason Dr. Owens was spared from being the demo-dogs' all you can eat feast (like poor Bob was), they were probably all herded in a different direction before they could kill him. I was surprised how much I liked Paul Reiser in this. I hope he sticks around.

Though the lab was up to some shady stuff, it did control some of the activity in the Upside Down. And since the closing scene made it clear that there is still danger lurking below the surface, it'll be interesting to see how it's handled now. Eleven can't do everything on her own. Good thing she's got her own Scoobies.

Every single actor on this show is terrific. I can't think of a current show with a better cast than this one. I just hope that the young actors turn out more Ron Howard and less Linsday Lohan.

Edited October 31, 2017 by mmecorday

[wingster55]

Quote

Barb would likely still be alive. (I mean, they were pretty shitty to Barb.) That makes it hard to have a normal relationship with him now. 

Barb's death had 0 to do with Nancy and Steve. Nancy told Barb to go home...Barb did the exact opposite. That's on her.

[kitcloudkicker]

10 minutes ago, wingster55 said:

Barb's death had 0 to do with Nancy and Steve. Nancy told Barb to go home...Barb did the exact opposite. That's on her.

What?! Barb didn't even want to be there, she was only at that location because Nancy begged to be (so that Nancy could have a chaperone to keep her from going too far with Steve), then spent the night letting Steve's shitty friends make fun of her and making her feel even more awkward about being stuck as the 5th wheel, then yelled at her to go home when she did what she asked her to be there for. That's called being pretty shitty to Barb. 

[wingster55]

3 minutes ago, kitcloudkicker said:

What?! Barb didn't even want to be there, she was only at that location because Nancy begged to be (so that Nancy could have a chaperone to keep her from going too far with Steve), then spent the night letting Steve's shitty friends make fun of her and making her feel even more awkward about being stuck as the 5th wheel, then yelled at her to go home when she did what she asked her to be there for. That's called being pretty shitty to Barb. 

But there's a difference between being shitty towards Barb and being responsible for her death. You said it yourself...Nancy told Barb to go home. Not go outside and sit by the pool in sadness.  

[kitcloudkicker]

4 minutes ago, wingster55 said:

But there's a difference between being shitty towards Barb and being responsible for her death. You said it yourself...Nancy told Barb to go home. Not go outside and sit by the pool in sadness.  

Well I didn't say Nancy WAS responsible for Barb's death, I said Nancy FEELS responsible for Barb's death. She couldn't have known there was a flesh eating monster in the woods, but that doesn't help when you're sad that the last thing you did to your best friend is make her feel like a sad loser. 

(I don't think Nancy is a bad person, I just get why she'd feel guilty about that. In a normal world, she could have apologized for letting her hormones make her a crappy friend in that moment. Now she can't, and I can see how that would eat at a person and make it hard to be with the person she "betrayed" her friend for.) 

[kcjc]

Loved season 2. I really, really would have liked a quick scene of Joyce coming home and finding that demidog in her fridge. You know that, after all the trauma, none of those kids thought to give her a heads up that Dustin and Steve shoved it in there.

[methodwriter85]

3 hours ago, raven said:

I laughed when that one soldier flipped him off :)

The actor playing Rob Lowe clone Billy kind of took me out of things.  He looks like he's in his late 20s, though when I looked him up, he's 22, a year younger than Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan and can pass for 18ish.

Wow, your mileage may vary on that, because I think Charlie Heaton looks pretty rough. Natalia Dyer and Joe Keery look the most believable to me. I do agree that Dacre Montgomery doesn't really look like a teenager. I thought that with the Power Rangers and I thought that here.

Jason Patric was 20 when he did The Lost Boys and also looked late 20's.

Shouldn't the removal of the base cause Hawkins fortunes to decline even more? I'm still wondering how the upper class families would function in a struggling rust belt town like Hawkins, unless it's super-convenient to a city. Although I feel like this show hasn't been super-consistent about Hawkins being a rust-belt town.

Edited October 31, 2017 by methodwriter85

[LittleIggy]

I’m glad Dart died eating his favorite candy bar. I hate that he ate Mew-Mew, but that wasn’t his fault. It was his nature.

[Emkat]

I was kind of falling for Bob. Such a sweetheart and I thought he was adorable.  My whole family almost cried when it happened.

[Kostgard]

13 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Well, I think it's the fact that Eleven made the chose to go back to Hawkins, even after getting to meet her mother and aunt, as well as Kali. Plus, Eleven going back home isn't going to magically cure her mother from her catatonic state. Her mother's catatonic state was a direct result of the electro shock that she had to endure. I'm sure she'll go to visit her mother and aunt whenever possible, because they are still family, but she also considers Hopper and Mike her family too. Eleven's had many different choices in her path this season, but it's not surprising she's going back to the one that she feels safest at. She can still go into the Void to see and talk to her mother. It wasn't like her mother was able to communicate with words in the Void, anyway. 

As for Hopper keeping her isolated, it wasn't a healthy way to protect her and he made several major mistakes, but it was clear that he did it completely out of love for her. Just like Eleven's learning how to live in the real world, Hopper's learning how to be a dad again. I can't remember how old his daughter was when she died, but it's a learning process to him too. He thought he could only protect her by keeping her away from everyone. He's learned from that mistake and things will be different this go around. Clearly, Eleven's aunt felt like Hopper would be a great father to her, as I assume she would have had to give her consent so that Hopper could legally become her father. Eleven has so many people in Hawkins to be able to care for her. Her mother cannot care for any of her needs in any way, shape, or form, and her aunt seemed overwhelmed by Eleven's powers in the first place, hence why she was calling to get a hold of Hopper or Joyce. 

Completely agree. It would be nice to see if Eleven can build a relationship with her aunt (she can't with her mother outside of the void), but her aunt just wasn't prepared to handle a kid like Eleven. Hopper was far from perfect, but he at least has been through the Upside Down shit and understands Eleven's situation (even if he hasn't really figured out how to handle it) and Eleven has other people in Hawkins who understand her situation. She doesn't have to hide who/what she is from them, and she probably would have to in a new town. 

I also thought it was clear that Hopper was terrified of something happening to her, so he hid her away (without really considering the effect the isolation would have on her). He was fine with her seeing Mike in the void, but he didn't seem to understand at first that it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough for both of them and it was kinda torture for both of them to be close enough to sense one another but never really connecting. He pushed for her to go to the dance, so I think he now understands how much she needs the interaction and she'll probably be allowed to see her friends over the next year while she's still in hiding.

Another sweet Eleven/Hopper thing - I noticed Hopper wearing a blue bracelet that looks like a braided friendship bracelet or something. At first I thought maybe Eleven made it for him (hey, she's cooped up all day. Makes sense that she'd get into arts & crafts to kill the time), but he also wore it in season one (never noticed it them). He made it from his daughter's hair ribbon after she lost her hair and wears it as a reminder of her. That alone is sweet, but then I noticed that it looks like Eleven is wearing the bracelet at the dance. The fact that Hopper would let her wear something that is clearly precious to him says a lot. 

[Sugar]

I guess I'm in the minority, because I really didn't like the addition of Max. I don't think she added anything interesting to the story or the characters, and I'm annoyed that we had to spend time on her +her family. I was really hoping that there'd be a better payoff for both Max+Billy; that maybe one or both were also experiment children, or that their father was a spook. But nope - just a blended family trying to work shit out + domestic abuse. Not very interesting, IMO. I'm also over the cliche "tough girl" trope, where we're supposed to think a female character is cool just because they do things better than a boy, or because she likes "boyish" things.

I also don't really care about Eleven....? I guess that makes me sound pretty heartless, but unlike the affection/care I feel for the 4 boys + Joyce, Steve, Hopper, I feel nothing for El. To me, she's a plot device, nothing more. She hasn't made me feel anything, even though I suspect we are all supposed to feel a combination of pity, awe, respect, and protectiveness towards her. I don't know if it's the actress, or the writing or what. Maybe it's just that I think she's eclipsed by the dynamic/friendship of the 4 guys.

Also, I thought the actor who played Will was OUTSTANDING this season. Dustin is the fan favorite, and a naturally charming actor, but my god - Will completely sold every single second he was on the screen. I think he's the strongest of the kids. But I was really blown away by Hopper this time around - I thought the actor was phenomenal, and I just get such a strong feel for the character. Like he could walk out of the TV and just be a real person. But honestly, even the weakest members of this cast (Barb, Max, Dustin) are still extremely talented. Also, LOVED Dustin's little sister, Erica. I really hope we get to see more of her.

In terms of the season in general, I feel like it was filler. A solid 7 or 7.5, but not as good as Season 1. I also think the writers bought into the hype and produced moments that felt manufactured and not completely genuine. Too many scenes to get laughs or "awwwwws". Also, as someone who thought the whole Barb thing was hella overrated last year, I hate that Nancy/Jonathan were essentially reduced to continuing an already dead storyline just to pacify the Internet. The first season was stellar because everything about it felt sincere and honest and real. By contrast, Season 2 felt like there was some shoe-horning happening.

RIP Bob. <btw - why didn't Hopper just go with Bob to be his cover?! Or else Hopper could have flipped the switch while Bob could have done the computers..? I was very confused about that whole scene.

As much as I like Joyce, she continues to be the dumbest person in any room. She's got guts, but brains? Not so much.

[kelslamu]

I hated Max's stepbrother's hair in the worst way.  I swear it looked like a toupee was plopped on top of his head.  I guess I'm the only one thinking he was not pretty in any way.   I kept waiting for the stepbrother to have came from the lab, but in the end he was just Sir Douche.

Will's haircut screamed bowl cut.  I don't remember even the nerds having bowl cuts like that in 1984.  Once past that, I thought they did the eightie's pretty well.  

I was really bored with the El finds #8 episode.  I understood giving El some background from her mother, but was hoping mama would come out of it.  You don't come out of a shock treatment too easy though.

[Robert Lynch]

Except one and that is the late River Phoenix. He surpassed Will's bowl cut by a mile. 

 

 

VS

 

 

So River wins in this war. That bowl cut was bigger than Will's.

Edited October 31, 2017 by Robert Lynch

[absnow54]

Shouldn't the removal of the base cause Hawkins fortunes to decline even more? I'm still wondering how the upper class families would function in a struggling rust belt town like Hawkins, unless it's super-convenient to a city. Although I feel like this show hasn't been super-consistent about Hawkins being a rust-belt town.

The show was initially supposed to be set in the Long Island Burbs using Brookhaven National Lab as their evil government entity, and was based on the Mantauk Project. They even shot parts of the pilot on Long Island, but changed to a fictional Indiana town due to legal reasons, I think. They've never really gotten that mid-western rust-belt feel because of it. I think this season kind of established that they were close to Chicago. El was able to travel there and back pretty quickly (although she had to take a coach bus to get there...) and it looked like Nancy and Jonathan were sending their tapes to Chicaco newspapers. You would think Hawkins Lab would be a pretty big employer for the area, and that at least one kid in the gang would have a parent who worked there.

[benteen]

45 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

The show was initially supposed to be set in the Long Island Burbs using Brookhaven National Lab as their evil government entity, and was based on the Mantauk Project. They even shot parts of the pilot on Long Island, but changed to a fictional Indiana town due to legal reasons, I think. They've never really gotten that mid-western rust-belt feel because of it. I think this season kind of established that they were close to Chicago. El was able to travel there and back pretty quickly (although she had to take a coach bus to get there...) and it looked like Nancy and Jonathan were sending their tapes to Chicaco newspapers. You would think Hawkins Lab would be a pretty big employer for the area, and that at least one kid in the gang would have a parent who worked there.

The show was originally going to be called Montauk.  I knew about the Montauk Experiment but not Brookhaven National Lab.  Interesting.

[DrSpaceman73]

11 hours ago, raven said:

I laughed when that one soldier flipped him off :)

The actor playing Rob Lowe clone Billy kind of took me out of things.  He looks like he's in his late 20s, though when I looked him up, he's 22, a year younger than Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan and can pass for 18ish.

I thought for sure he would turn out to be an undercover agent at the school or something more interesting than just an arrogant teen a-hole with an abusive dad. 

In the end I didn't think his character added much to the season and almost seemed like a decoy.  Seems like a long and intricate set up for just a scene where Max stands up to him.  Max never struck me as some meek character anyway that needed that sort of scene or moment this season. 

[DrSpaceman73]

Quote

Shouldn't the removal of the base cause Hawkins fortunes to decline even more? I'm still wondering how the upper class families would function in a struggling rust belt town like Hawkins, unless it's super-convenient to a city. Although I feel like this show hasn't been super-consistent about Hawkins being a rust-belt town.

I never got the feeling of Hawkins as a rust belt town.  Its more like typical small town rural southern Indiana. 

Also there is a "naval base" in southern Indiana around Boomington, Crane naval base.  I think I just subconsciously made that association with Indiana and where it was located. Though I don't think beyond it being near enough to Chicago for El to travel there, which is pretty much all of Indiana, they have ever really specified WHERE Hawkins would be in Indiana. 

Northwest Indiana around Gary and somewhat South Bend is more the rust belt type of Indiana city, but that part of the state looks much different than what we see in Hawkins.  I suppose it could be more around the Lafayette area but rural, but I have the image of Hawkins as being more hilly whereas as that part of the state is pretty flat.  I don't know if that is my own projection though or if that is how they have actually portrayed the city.

In the end not terribly important, its fictional small town Indiana.......somewhere. 

Edited October 31, 2017 by DrSpaceman73

[benteen]

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I thought for sure he would turn out to be an undercover agent at the school or something more interesting than just an arrogant teen a-hole with an abusive dad. 

In the end I didn't think his character added much to the season and almost seemed like a decoy.  Seems like a long and intricate set up for just a scene where Max stands up to him.  Max never struck me as some meek character anyway that needed that sort of scene or moment this season. 

Yeah, I kept thinking there was this big mystery with Max and Billy this season, tied to the stuff that was going on with the experimentations on Eleven.  But it just turned out to be one giant red herring with a lot of vague talk from Billy.

[MaryWebGirl]

2 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I never got the feeling of Hawkins as a rust belt town.  Its more like typical small town rural southern Indiana. 

Also there is a "naval base" in southern Indiana around Boomington, Crane naval base.  I think I just subconsciously made that association with Indiana and where it was located. Though I don't think beyond it being near enough to Chicago for El to travel there, which is pretty much all of Indiana, they have ever really specified WHERE Hawkins would be in Indiana. 

Northwest Indiana around Gary and somewhat South Bend is more the rust belt type of Indiana city, but that part of the state looks much different than what we see in Hawkins.  I suppose it could be more around the Lafayette area but rural, but I have the image of Hawkins as being more hilly whereas as that part of the state is pretty flat.  I don't know if that is my own projection though or if that is how they have actually portrayed the city.

In the end not terribly important, its fictional small town Indiana.......somewhere. 

When they talked about going to "the city" in the first season I made that Gary in my mind. They could also be close-ish to Lafayette / Purdue to keep the lab supplied with engineers. Sure that area is way more flat than Hawkins, but everything else about the town is pretty spot on for me (I grew up in rural southern Michigan).

Edited October 31, 2017 by MaryWebGirl

[DrSpaceman73]

27 minutes ago, MaryWebGirl said:

When they talked about going to "the city" in the first season I made that Gary in my mind. They could also be close-ish to Lafayette / Purdue to keep the lab supplied with engineers. Sure that area is way more flat than Hawkins, but everything else about the town is pretty spot on for me (I grew up in rural southern Michigan).

Probably more of our own biases then in terms of where we grew up and what we are familiar with, since I am from central Indiana. 

Except I would also expect there to be more African Americans in the town if it were near Gary.  More than just one family. 

[tennisgurl]

I really liked the finale, and I think this was a generally strong follow up to the monster success of the first season. It suffered from a few issues, while I`ll get to, but it didn't go full on sophomore slump, and the cast is still amazing and filled with great performances and great cast chemistry. Every combination of characters was a winner, and everyone got something interesting to do, so for that, the season wins automatically. 

I think my MVP of the season was Steve, my new favorite Stranger Things character. Its pretty amazing how the guy went from the stereotypical asshole rich boyfriend for the nice, poor guy to get the girl from in every 80s movie to a very sympathetic and sweet person who risked his life several times to protect people. Steve's Adventures in Babysitting turned out to be one of my favorite subplots, and I love that he became a kind of big brother to the kids, especially to Dustin. I honestly ended the season feeling super sorry for him and being annoyed that Nancy dumped him! Yeah she shouldn't stay with him if she doesn't love him anymore, but still, I hope he gets a few wins next season. I know some people online were saying it would be cool if Steve became Hops new deputy/protege, and I think that would be really cool. 

I do think that Steve/Nancy ended a bit too quickly, and while Jonathan and Nancy were basically inevitable, they seemed to get together way too fast after all that build up. I was also disappointed to not get more Steve and Jonathan interacting, I think that could be an interesting relationship to build on in the future. 

I think that Hop is the best choice to raise El/Jane, and they're relationship is super sweet. I love all of Hops reactions to the weird shit happening around him, he is just like "oh what fresh hell is this now?" every five seconds. I do hope her aunt comes to visit now that El is officially his daughter (!) and they can go out in the open. She seemed like a nice person, and it would be nice if she could connect with whats left of her family. It also seems like Joyce and Hop will become a thing by next season. If Bob is gone, I am totally ok with that. Speaking of, I miss Bob. Bob was awesome. #justiceforbob. 

I liked Max, and thought she worked pretty well as a new addition to the gang and a love interest for Lucas, but I have no idea why Billy was a thing. The actor was certainly compelling, but he basically served no purpose beyond being an asshole and kicking poor Steve's ass, which is apparently a yearly tradition. Honestly, I was half convinced he was hot for Steve for most of the season. Honestly, I still kind of think he is. Maybe all that rage is partially repressed homosexuality? He just licks his lips so often when he talks to Steve, I dont think thats how guys act when they're just trying to be intimidating! Steve is WAY too good for him though. 

There was not enough of El and the gang this season, which was my biggest complaint of the season. Half the fun of the first season was her discovering friendship, and that was on the back burner for most of the season. The dance at the end almost made up for it though. My God that was adorable.  

[valen]

On Beyond Stranger Things, they discuss Billy. They said they needed a human antagonist. He is what Steve was initially supposed to be. That's basically it.

Steve is my favorite. Hands down. When he's practicing his swing with the bat, or giving Dustin advice, I can really appreciate the growth of his character. He seemed to have trouble writing his college essay, so the thought of him staying in Hawkins and working with Hopper is plausible. He already mentioned staying around for Nancy.

Last season, I would have cheered Nancy and Jonathan, but this year it felt like an afterthought, and GROSS to doing it in that guy's house. BARF. I really thought she'd made a huge mistake when she called her mom from the conspiracy guy's phone. If her home phone was tapped, wouldn't they have seen where she was calling from?

I also was really disgusted at the death scene for Bob. First of all, RUN! Don't just stand there and stare at her. If nothing else, run up and hug her. Then, with ALL those dead bodies in that building, 4 of the dogs have to eat JUST him and they show a prolonged shot of it? The worst may have been when the dog stabs him in the side and he screams. Horrible and unnecessary, IMO.

[starri]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Honestly, I was half convinced he was hot for Steve for most of the season. Honestly, I still kind of think he is. Maybe all that rage is partially repressed homosexuality? He just licks his lips so often when he talks to Steve, I dont think thats how guys act when they're just trying to be intimidating! Steve is WAY too good for him though. 

I saw an interview with Joe Keery about that somewhere, and he was kind of evasive, except to say that he thought the shower scene between the two of them was meant to be an homage to homoerotic stuff in 80s movies, most notably Top Gun.  I was actually wondering if they were hinting about Billy the entire season, for that and a few other reasons, and my ears definitely pricked up a bit more when Billy's dad called him a you-know-what.

The other thing is that the show is during the height of the AIDS crisis, and anyone old enough to remember Oprah's 1987 episode about a gay man and his struggles in his small West Virginia town knows that there's a lot of story possibility there.  Not that I necessarily think that's the way they would go, nor do I have any idea how to weave that into a story about an eldritch horror from the Upside Down, but it crossed my mind more than once.

[ghoulina]

9 hours ago, Sugar said:

RIP Bob. <btw - why didn't Hopper just go with Bob to be his cover?! Or else Hopper could have flipped the switch while Bob could have done the computers..? I was very confused about that whole scene.

Hop needed to make sure Joyce and the boys got out safely. 

 

8 hours ago, kelslamu said:

I hated Max's stepbrother's hair in the worst way.  I swear it looked like a toupee was plopped on top of his head.  I guess I'm the only one thinking he was not pretty in any way. 

Nope. He was gross to me. He just seemed sweaty or oily all the time. Too into his looks. Not my thing. Hopper is more my type of guy. 

[tennisgurl]

When they started playing Every Breath You Take in the gym, I was like "oh great, the creepiest love song ever to end the season", and then it switched to the Upside Down and the music started getting muffled, and it became SUPER creepy and scarily appropriate for the Mind Flayer watching the bizzaro gym and looking pissed. "Every bond you break every step you take I`ll be watching you..." brrrrrr. 

[blueray]

16 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

When they started playing Every Breath You Take in the gym, I was like "oh great, the creepiest love song ever to end the season", and then it switched to the Upside Down and the music started getting muffled, and it became SUPER creepy and scarily appropriate for the Mind Flayer watching the bizzaro gym and looking pissed. "Every bond you break every step you take I`ll be watching you..." brrrrrr. 

I didn't think much of it as I've seen the song be used for other things instead of being just creepy. That was until I saw a interview with the cast (the beyond stranger things). It definitely adds a creepy but cool take to the ending. The mind flayer is watching them.

[Last Time Lord]

15 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

When they started playing Every Breath You Take in the gym, I was like "oh great, the creepiest love song ever to end the season", and then it switched to the Upside Down and the music started getting muffled, and it became SUPER creepy and scarily appropriate for the Mind Flayer watching the bizzaro gym and looking pissed. "Every bond you break every step you take I`ll be watching you..." brrrrrr. 

Dustin’s actor even called it “the stalker song” on Beyond Stranger Things.

Forever endearing me to him for all time.  

[nodorothyparker]

Billy isn't attractive to us.  But he would have been considered very much so in 1984.  He's only a year ahead of the curve of nailing the Rob Lowe in St. Elmo's Fire look, which launched a thousand Tiger Beat pullout posters.

1 hour ago, starri said:

The other thing is that the show is during the height of the AIDS crisis, and anyone old enough to remember Oprah's 1987 episode about a gay man and his struggles in his small West Virginia town knows that there's a lot of story possibility there.  Not that I necessarily think that's the way they would go, nor do I have any idea how to weave that into a story about an eldritch horror from the Upside Down, but it crossed my mind more than once.

They're in small town Indiana, where Ryan White will start to make headlines in 1985 and be regularly in the news for the next couple of years.  If these kids are like I was in next door Illinois at the time, it'll be the first time any of them have given it much thought at all beyond being something that's happening in New York or California mostly to gay people.  That, combined with their moving into the teen years, might give us the awkward as hell I'd rather be telling you about anything but this sex ed lesson in health class from a teacher who clearly just wants to scare them out of thinking about doing it but has to sort of kind of address safe sex.

[SeanC]

For the record, "Every Breath You Take" is supposed to creepy.  The Police have said as much.  It's just been misinterpreted (much like, e.g., "Born in the USA") ever since it came out.  Not that the Police are complaining, really, given how much moolah it has raked in over the decades.

[AimingforYoko]

3 hours ago, SeanC said:

For the record, "Every Breath You Take" is supposed to creepy.  The Police have said as much.  It's just been misinterpreted (much like, e.g., "Born in the USA") ever since it came out.  Not that the Police are complaining, really, given how much moolah it has raked in over the decades.

On a 60 Minutes interview about five years ago, Sting said many couples told him they played that at their wedding and his response was, "Good luck..."

The whole Synchronicity album is quite dark, Gordon was a somber young man. (Stewart was the fun one, which is why they clashed.) As to the moolah, as of the 60 Minutes interview Sting was making $240k annually just off that song.

[Mabinogia]

12 hours ago, kelslamu said:

Will's haircut screamed bowl cut.  I don't remember even the nerds having bowl cuts like that in 1984.  Once past that, I thought they did the eightie's pretty well.  

Oh we did. Believe me. I was twelve in 1984 and had that exact hair cut, well, slightly longer in the back but not past my neck. I even told my younger friend who was watching with me "OMG I had Will's hair!" Full disclosure...I HATED that haircut!!!! But it was all my mother could do. 

[Lamima]

5 hours ago, starri said:

I saw an interview with Joe Keery about that somewhere, and he was kind of evasive, except to say that he thought the shower scene between the two of them was meant to be an homage to homoerotic stuff in 80s movies, most notably Top Gun.  I was actually wondering if they were hinting about Billy the entire season, for that and a few other reasons, and my ears definitely pricked up a bit more when Billy's dad called him a you-know-what.

.

This. I was wondering this through the whole season.

 

Just finished watching and I was pleased with it. Yes, there are holes and that one entire episode of Eleven (finding mama and then her punker sister and the gang) was awful. But still I would give it a solid B. I wish these show runners could take over for TWD. They do such a great job that I am still dying for more even with the holes and even after the crap Eleven episode. 

[SnoGirl]

I saw on Twitter someone posted how many days Eleven and Mike were apart was 353 days. But if you add the numbers, 3+5+3 you get 11. Which if it was on purpose or not, it made me smile.

I still cant believe how much their voices have changed. I watched season one before this, and its just crazy. Some highlights were when Max's brother was kicking the crap out of Steve, one of the boys (it might have been Dustin) had a super deep shouting voice. And then paired that with the high pitch screaming in the car when Max was driving (which I thought was either Steve or Lucas), I was dying.

On a shallow note, I hope we see more of Eleven's wild curls. I wasnt a huge fan of the slicked back look. Plus, I cant imagine Hopper knows how to help style a teen's hair.

I hope they come up with a good story about why the boys and Max are constantly hanging out at Hopper's place in the future. Or maybe Hopper will get Eleven to Joyce's place. I'm sure they'll do a time jump, but it is fun to imagine how they'll hide Eleven when the kids know she's alive and will want to hangout with her.

[EarlGreyTea]

26 minutes ago, SnoGirl said:

I hope they come up with a good story about why the boys and Max are constantly hanging out at Hopper's place in the future. Or maybe Hopper will get Eleven to Joyce's place. I'm sure they'll do a time jump, but it is fun to imagine how they'll hide Eleven when the kids know she's alive and will want to hangout with her.

I know they'll probably do another time jump because of how fast the kids are growing, but I don't want to miss any of Eleven's development as a normal kid. I hope they resume the new season with her first day of school, since Hopper was told to wait a year for things to calm down (ha, now that I think about it, that line was probably to delay Eleven's return to the real world until the new season begins - I see what you did there, Duffers). Honestly, I'd watch an entire season of Eleven adjusting to her new life (in HAWKINS, dammit) and growing closer to the other kids, no Demogorgon necessary.

For S3, I want to see how the group dynamics shift now that both Will and Eleven are back, and Max is one of them. One thing I wondered after last season was how the group functioned with Will in it, since we saw so little of him. I see now that he is basically the peacemaker, and his absence in season one meant that the kids lost their buffer and bickered a lot more. I need Will and Eleven and Max and Eleven to become friends already. It's funny that they had basically several scenes together, and those actors (Millie/Noah, Millie/Sadie) are amongst the closest in the cast.

One thing I'd like to know is how Eleven got that dress. The more I think about it, since Joyce likely made Will's Ghostbusters costume, maybe she made Eleven's dress and/or helped her get ready. I smell a million fanfics being written.

Edited November 1, 2017 by EarlGreyTea

[blueray]

I'm guessing season 3 will also jump about a year, but hopefully with some flashbacks with the kids just hanging out. I think it would be cool if it starts with them starting high school (and Eleven starting school). Of course she maybe way behind in reading and writing.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 10/28/2017 at 5:11 AM, CheetaraThunder said:

- I went from “wanting to punch” Steve, to “protect this cinnamon roll at all costs. Great job by the Duffers for his character progression. He actually wanted to be a better person, not to get the girl, but for himself. 

Steve is now one of my favorite characters! I was so afraid he'd die in the junkyard scene. I love him, his amazing hair and his nail-studded bat.

[Kel Varnsen]

Great finale. One thing that kind of made me laugh was the prospect of Dustin being very confused in the future because of conflicting romatic advice he might be getting from Steve and Nancy. Although I imagine the big talk at and after the dance was how Dustin was able to get a dance with a hot older girl.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 10/29/2017 at 9:24 PM, Deputy Deputy CoS said:

I am surprised that so many people are glad El is ending up with Hopper when her mother is cationic mess from the heartbreak of loosing her. I was hoping El would rejoin her family and they could start healing. The aunt seemed like a good hearted woman. While Hopper is okay and I don't doubt that he loves El, he did keep the traumatized girl isolated for a whole year. That is a big deal that I feel is brushed aside. Also, what did he mean by her mother is gone when she asked about her? I would be more into the idea of El living with him if she didn't already have a family who could love and nurture her better than the well meaning guy who kept her hidden for a year. She can go to school at Hawkin's middle school and continue to see all her friends. 

I disagree. Her mother is unable to care for her, and her aunt has her hands full being a full-time caretaker to a catatonic woman. The town they're in is too far from Hawkins (didn't El have to take a bus/hitchhike to there?) so she would never see Mike or her other friends. Hopper, flawed dad though he is, is actually the best one to take care of her. He kept her isolated in the cabin out of necessity -- the people from the lab were still looking for her, and if they'd found her they would have locked her away in the lab again, and it would have been even worse a second time. 

[Dovega]

I liked Steve very much this season but I hate the idea that Nancy's value depends at all in wether she picks him or Jonathan. Both are good guys this season and she is a pretty good person too.

[Ravenya003]

Just finished this season and haven't read the rest of the thread so forgive me if I repeat what's already been said:

Steve waking up in the car with the pre-teens was comedy gold. The best part was him looking at them groggily one-by-one, as you could see him counting them in his head. By the time he got to Lucas in the front seat you could see the dread in his face: he's just realized Max must be driving.

I think Max was a good addition, though the stuff with Billy and her step/parents was a little strange. The whole time I watched Billy/Max's interactions I thought something else was going on; like they were runaways or something, so when the step/parents were introduced I was a little thrown. That said, it was all worth it for the Billy/Mike's mum scene. 

It sucked that Eleven was separated from the boys for so long, but damn - maybe it was worth it for the Mike/Eleven reunion. My breath may have caught in my throat. That said, I'm REALLY looking forward to returning to the El/gang dynamic next season. I thought it was very touching that El's good memories not only included Mike and Hopper but also Dustin yelling: "she's our friend!" so hopefully she can now build a better rapport with Lucas, Will (who she still technically hasn't met!) and Max. I hope the girls in particular get a chance to bond, especially once El realizes that Max isn't a threat. 

The writers/actors really capture the bond between friends: the absolute ride-or-die devotion to one another that's interspersed with squabbling over stupid shit like how to pronounce words or what constitutes a breakage of the bro-code. It rings so true, and reminds me of friendships when I was a kid.

But what makes this show special isn't the Eighties nostalgia or the action/suspense sequences or any of the technical stuff, it's that it's about the fundamental goodness of people. We all side-eyed Bob when he turned up - instead he sacrifices his life for Joyce and the boys. Steve was the typical jerk joke when he started out, now he's protecting pre-teens with nothing but a baseball bat.  Eight and her goons may have been an odd storytelling tangent, but they were also a lot nicer than they first appeared (that is, they posed no threat to Eleven and didn't stop her from leaving when she wanted to). Paul Reiser ended up much more benevolent than he first appeared. I even bristled at the lady on the bus that spoke to Eleven on her way home, thinking she was some sort of government spy out to kidnap her, but even she was just a kindly stranger.  Fandom seems to hate Nancy, and yet her final scene wasn't about the love triangle, but doing something kind for Dustin.  

And when you look at how the characters saved the world, it was all about their love for each other. What drove Eleven away was Hopper's anger born of fear, but what brought her back was her love for the boys. Jonathan/Mike/Joyce distracted the monster by stories about how much they loved Will. The gang risked their lives causing a distraction in the Upside Down because they knew it was the only way to clear the path for Eleven to close the gate. Dustin's affection for Dart paid off when it stood down and let the kids pass. 

Sure there's some gunfire, but ultimately the day was won through acts of kindness and love. You don't see enough of it these days, but I think it's the secret to the show's success. 

Edited November 1, 2017 by Ravenya003