Current Events > I didn't like Strsnger Things season 2 that much (Spoilers)...

(+) Yeah! (+)

Its still better than most other television out there but I dont think it was anywhere as good as the first.

The new characters that are introduced seem rather pointless additions. One of the greatest achievements of the first was that no one was a stereotype. Every time you thought you figured out a character they did something to surprise you. In the second season the bully is just a bully, max is the nerdy outsider who the boys compete to win over. The original characters dont grow much if any over the season and the new ones, like I said, dont really add anything valuable.

The worst thing in any show is people doing stupid shit to advance the plot. Dustin keeping a monster in his house and protecting it. Hopper going into the tunnels alone and with no way to climb out even if the hole didnt close behind him.

I know how hard it wouldve been to capture the magic from the first season again. But I think the key would have been to try new things with a whole new cast and take the focus away from the characters we already know. You could definitely include them but as minor roles. IMO

Not that my opinion means anything because Im sure its getting rave reviews and shit.
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I agree with you pretty much completely. I'd still say I enjoyed it overall, but it was nowhere near as good as the first season. It pretty much followed the same plot beats, but inferior in almost every way.

And episode 7 is grade A fucking trash that felt like a backdoor pilot to a potential spinoff on the CW and shouldn't have happened.

I disagree. I thought it was an incredibly written season and better than the first.

Billy is a hilarious archetype of an 80's bully when you first meet him but the scene where his dad abuses him is all you need to know to understand his mentality. Max was fine for me. She fit in well with the boys and you understood each of the boys reactions to her, Mike obviously didn't like the concept of a replacement and the other two never saw a girl who gave them attn/was offbeat like them.

Dustin is someone who wants to forge relationships, and considering how he and Max weren't going over well, it makes sense that he liked Dart. It's not only just a pet, but a cool fucking alien pet so it made him feel special in that way. He felt a connection to it such that he thought we could control it. Once it ate Mewsy though he knew it was dangerous and contacted Steve. Hopper I guess you could say that was dumb, but I don't know if he thought there was immediate danger. I guess it wasn't the smartest thing but wasn't that when he was in an upset state? Don't recall.

I thought Bob was a really good character, not just a throw away unaware step-dad-esque character. His arc was effective. The shadow monster is also really cool. The unraveling of the mystery was intriguing. There was truly upsetting imagery, particularly in regards to Will and his suffering.
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Yeeeeeah that whole side plot with 11 went absolutely fucking nowhere, as silly as it was the fact that it was so pointless was my greasiest criticism
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Agreed. It was better than most alternatives like you said but had flaws.

They could have kept focus on the main cast just fine, there was plenty of material to use (like coping, growing without eleven in a way that wasn't just angst, etc).

Bob was a fantastic character but his death was cliche and bullshit. Didn't come as a surprised and just left a bad taste in my mouth. I hate when shows bring in a central character solely for a shock killing.

Aside from that it was good, missed the magic from the original but let's be honest, that was expected (and for good reason).
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SwayM posted...

Yeeeeeah that whole side plot with 11 went absolutely fucking nowhere, as silly as it was the fact that it was so pointless was my greasiest criticism

Then how does El learn how to harness her anger/power
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Zeeak4444 posted...

Agreed. It was better than most alternatives like you said but had flaws.

They could have kept focus on the main cast just fine, there was plenty of material to use (like coping, growing without eleven in a way that wasn't just angst, etc).

Bob was a fantastic character but his death was cliche and bullshit. Didn't come as a surprised and just left a bad taste in my mouth. I hate when shows bring in a central character solely for a shock killing.

Aside from that it was good, missed the magic from the original but let's be honest, that was expected (and for good reason).

Agreed about Bob. Instead of getting really attached to the character like they wanted me to, I saw right behind the puppet show and knew they were building up this character just to die and that felt so forced to me. I didnt want him to die and if he didnt I would have really liked the direction they went with him, instead he was just plot fodder.

Also the one thing I really liked about 11s side story is the revelation of her mothers ramblings. I thought it was handled really well and is insanely tragic.
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The new head of Hawkins lab and Bob both defy expectations
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Touch posted...

SwayM posted...

Yeeeeeah that whole side plot with 11 went absolutely fucking nowhere, as silly as it was the fact that it was so pointless was my greasiest criticism

Then how does El learn how to harness her anger/power

Literally any other way?
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The second season just felt too crowded with all the new characters they introduced.
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SwayM posted...

Yeeeeeah that whole side plot with 11 went absolutely fucking nowhere, as silly as it was the fact that it was so pointless was my greasiest criticism

I mean, the entire point was for it to come full circle. It was character development. Didn't you notice the overall repetition of home? And the stark contrast of her time cast alone in the woods? It was supposed to be her trying to find her place in the world, the way every young teen starts to do, but amplified by the fact that she basically wasn't raised as a human.
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SwayM posted...

Zeeak4444 posted...

Agreed. It was better than most alternatives like you said but had flaws.

They could have kept focus on the main cast just fine, there was plenty of material to use (like coping, growing without eleven in a way that wasn't just angst, etc).

Bob was a fantastic character but his death was cliche and bullshit. Didn't come as a surprised and just left a bad taste in my mouth. I hate when shows bring in a central character solely for a shock killing.

Aside from that it was good, missed the magic from the original but let's be honest, that was expected (and for good reason).

Agreed about Bob. Instead of getting really attached to the character like they wanted me to, I saw right behind the puppet show and knew they were building up this character just to die and that felt so forced to me. I didnt want him to die and if he didnt I would have really liked the direction they went with him, instead he was just plot fodder.

Also the one thing I really liked about 11s side story is the revelation of her mothers ramblings. I thought it was handled really well and is insanely tragic.

Yeah, that whole section was really good. I haven't watched the very last episode yet but without being spoiled I thought it was gonna be pretty bad based on what I saw here.

The only gripe I have is:
-we established she can now do her thing through frequencies. Not really how she can but that's fine.
-WHY IS THERE STILL WATER! My only gripe. Water made sense in her bath. Either have it solid or make it a little different this time. Now it just seems stupid to me even if it's super minor lol.
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What was the reason the doctor stayed back at the facility btw. I dont get why he didnt come with
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SuperGamer5 posted...

I agree with you pretty much completely. I'd still say I enjoyed it overall, but it was nowhere near as good as the first season. It pretty much followed the same plot beats, but inferior in almost every way.

And episode 7 is grade A fucking trash that felt like a backdoor pilot to a potential spinoff on the CW and shouldn't have happened.

This. So much this.
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SwayM posted...

Touch posted...

SwayM posted...

Yeeeeeah that whole side plot with 11 went absolutely fucking nowhere, as silly as it was the fact that it was so pointless was my greasiest criticism

Then how does El learn how to harness her anger/power

Literally any other way?

Like?
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Like... lets say a heartwarming speech from Mike or Hopper or literally any other character. Lets say....the science teacher.

There isnt a need in the story for there to be a plot thread that 11 needs to harness her power. We see her easily being able to use it at will. If she used it at the end to defeat the big bad somehow we wouldnt bat an eye as an audience. She did it in the first, and we have no reason to doubt her control of her power without that useless side plot.
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SwayM posted...

What was the reason the doctor stayed back at the facility btw. I dont get why he didnt come with

He stayed behind in that surveillance room to guide out the other survivors, remember. And then the dog alien things broke out and so he was trapped.

He was a good guy so he probably felt an obligation to help everyone get out since he's working for the org. that caused the shit to happen to begin with
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I just noticed the typo in the title. Fat phone thumbs
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Except its not useless side plot lol. Its world building. It shows that there are other numbered kids out there and what they could do differently from El.

Also, yeah. It was to show that the science research head dude was actually a nice guy to stay behind and act as surveilance for everyone. What I DONT get is how the hell he managed to survive in that stairwell with a fucked up leg
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That episode where 11 finds her sister seemed like it could've been summed up in one sentence. '11 found out how to use anger with her power.' Not gonna get complaints from me though since it was cool seeing punk hijinks.
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I feel like it is way too soon to say that her story arc with her sister was pointless. She can obviously be brought back next season or so to develope her further. For now, she learned more about herself from it and she knows she isn't completely alone. I highly doubt their shared trauma will be completely ignored and forgotten going forward.
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Its useless because again, it doesnt go anywhere. Its a great idea on paper that there are other people out there with powers. Unfortunately it was not executed well. The entire season should have been about these other people with powers, or at least a much greater portion.

I didnt care for the punk gang at all. Not a one of them was interesting, especially not Sombra (I dont remember her name and thats who she reminds me of)

Her power is cool but thats where the lists of positives stops. Shes boring. Her whole crew is boring. Which is not something you want to say about a gang of homeless punks in the 80s.

The whole plot line was such a poor excuse to get 11 to harness her power (again we didnt need this) and give her a badass makeover.

Poorly executed in every respect IMHO
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Finding other survivors with powers like herself could be the point of next season.

Eleven was kinda brought back by the sense of urgency of what was going on. She knew she was needed back in Hawkins. You don't have to like it, but the way it was done made sense.

El can always find her sister again, and they can obviously open the doors to wonder if there are even more of them.
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SwayM posted...

I didnt care for the punk gang at all.

Come on, punk hijinks is great.
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untrustful posted...

SwayM posted...

I didnt care for the punk gang at all.

Come on, punk hijinks is great.

Could have been a lot better

I sound like Mr complainy complainerson
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up
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Lets talk about everything wrong with this season CE
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SwayM posted...

Lets talk about everything wrong with this season CE

Nah
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Youll come around
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Nah I'm not a negative nancy
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Touch posted...

SwayM posted...

Touch posted...

SwayM posted...

Yeeeeeah that whole side plot with 11 went absolutely fucking nowhere, as silly as it was the fact that it was so pointless was my greasiest criticism

Then how does El learn how to harness her anger/power

Literally any other way?

Like?

I would've preferred if she and Hopper simply got into a massive argument, with them being brutally honest with each other and understanding what the other was dealing with the whole season. Then as they come to an understanding, she admits that she's still angry, and he tells her that it's ok to be angry, and to let it out. Then as she begins to scream and cry, with him encouraging her to let it all out, she devastates the area around his cabin with a huge blast that surprises them both.
Then she says she feels better, and he says maybe she should just keep it bottled up after all.
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SwayM posted...

Lets talk about everything wrong with this season CE

My only complaints are the predictability of Bob's death and (ending spoilers) using the Mind Flayer's interconnection with everything Upside Down against it. I called the latter as soon as it was established that Will felt its pain.

Those nitpicks aside, S2 is slightly better than S1 imo. I particularly don't understand why people are complaining about the characters being separated for much of the season. It pays off in the end when everyone inadvertently converges on the lab, and then have to work in tandem in three different locations to close the gate and save Will at the same time.
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Before I said they should have abandoned the characters we know and focus on entirely new shit.

Instead I think the charm of the show lives and dies on the kids themselves. They should have spent more time with the kids as a unit, working together to figure out whatever problems get thrown st them from this crazy dimension.

The biggest pissoff is how Will spends pretty much another entire season being the upside downs bitch. Hes just a problem everyone else needs to solve and because of that he doesnt get to do anything the entire season. Again.

What I think they should have done is use Wills true sight. Make him another power character along with 11.

The plot could be about them using it so they can have will switch between reality and the upside down to defeat the monsters, bring 11 back. I would give up that entire side plot with Hopper, as charming as it is. Do something interesting with it. You could tie the moms rightful overprotection with Will harnessing his new powers and growing to become self dependent and strong by himself.

That kid is a phenomenal actor, probably the best out of all the kids, and they all do great. Should have given him some room to grow.
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Tell em Sway
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