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[brainchild]

Loved the show but I have to say, Winona's acting was absolute shit. And believe me, I understand the role of her character, but she just didn't pull it off well. Her 'hysteria' felt contrived and artificial to the point where she halted my suspension of disbelief every moment she appeared on screen.

The kids were the best actors in the show, surprisingly.

 

[HStallion]

It's gonna be a tough wait for season 2.

They'll film it like a combination of Boyhood and Stephen King's It.

Spoiler

They will film the second season over a ten year period following all the actors in real time following their characters as they grow older. The story is more sprawling and grand and takes all different kinds of paths as the kids grow up, Hob does his shady stuff for the government and Joyce deals with the repercussions of what's happening to Will. It mixes the strangeness of it all as they advance through the 80's following real life events as well as the fictional story line that spans the US and other dimensions. We watch the actors and their characters actually age and deal with the mundane issues all kinds of crazy shit happens as well with things slowly building and building. You release that long awaited season ten years later and boom, epic story telling, literally.

Then the third season is like the second half of Stephen Kind's It where the kids are all grown up, Hobb is even more burnt out but for more Lovecraftian reasons, Will is on the run from the government and 11 returns from the Upside Down like Connor did in Angel (the show) but actually bad ass after all those years training, honing her powers and surviving the terrors of the Upside Down. Its 1993 it all comes full circle as Dr Brenner shockingly returns chasing after 11 all these years later but he's different now. Something happened to him after the monster dragged him there a decade ago and now he is a force of nature acting like the Tall Man from Phantasm and bringing all manner of surreal and terrifying horrors with him to destroy humanity. The characters all set a crash course to huge climax as they confront the ultimate evil and finish what was started so long ago.

Spoiler

I smoked some good pot

 

[MaKTaiL]

They'll film it like a combination of Boyhood and Stephen King's It.

Spoiler

They will film the second season over a ten year period following all the actors in real time following their characters as they grow older. The story is more sprawling and grand and takes all different kinds of paths as the kids grow up, Hob does his shady stuff for the government and Joyce deals with the repercussions of what's happening to Will. It mixes the strangeness of it all as they advance through the 80's following real life events as well as the fictional story line that spans the US and other dimensions. We watch the actors and their characters actually age and deal with the mundane issues all kinds of crazy shit happens as well with things slowly building and building. You release that long awaited season ten years later and boom, epic story telling, literally.

Then the third season is like the second half of Stephen Kind's It where the kids are all grown up, Hobb is even more burnt out but for more Lovecraftian reasons, Will is on the run from the government and 11 returns from the Upside Down like Connor did in Angel (the show) but actually bad ass after all those years training, honing her powers and surviving the terrors of the Upside Down. Its 1993 it all comes full circle as Dr Brenner shockingly returns chasing after 11 all these years later but he's different now. Something happened to him after the monster dragged him there a decade ago and now he is a force of nature acting like the Tall Man from Phantasm and bringing all manner of surreal and terrifying horrors with him to destroy humanity. The characters all set a crash course to huge climax as they confront the ultimate evil and finish what was started so long ago.

Spoiler

I smoked some good pot

I wanna smoke that too, sounds fun!

 

[YesNOnoNOYes]

just finished this last night and now just sitting here, being a little lost and slightly shocked that there is no more episodes (for awhile)

such a terrific show

*___*

 

[Matty77]

The episode 4 scene where the

Spoiler

agent enters the membrane

really owes a debt to the SCP foundation.

The whole hazmat suit/cable thing is way too similar to SCP-093 to be coincidence alone.

I am going to have to disagree

Spoiler

Not always with that exact setup but impossible space, other dimensions, unknown places exploration with some kind of rope/wire/string while either unprotected or wearing spacesuit/divingsuit/hazmat gear has been around and being used in Sci/Fi and Horror since at least the 50's. In fact the trope has been used so much it's even become a mini trope since about the eighties for it to include spray painted arrows as well.

 

[adamsappel]

The CG was terrible though. I really think they should have tried to go practical, because it couldn't look as bad as what we got in the final episode.

Apparently most of the time we see the monster it's a guy-in-a-practical-suit.

I'm surprised people haven't been harder on Winona's acting. She was definitely the weak link in the whole thing. Every kid out-acted her.

The show couldn't show a time when she was a regular mom. She went straight to 11 from the first episode. I thought Dustin was great, and they incorporated his real-life orthodontia problems very well. Benny the cook was a good role, too.

The episode 4 scene where the

Spoiler

agent enters the membrane

really owes a debt to the SCP foundation.

The whole hazmat suit/cable thing is way too similar to SCP-093 to be coincidence alone.

Nah, that's been done to death before. Spielberg/Hooper even did it in Poltergeist.

 

[EightBitNate]

Loved the show but I have to say, Winona's acting was absolute shit. And believe me, I understand the role of her character, but she just didn't pull it off well. Her 'hysteria' felt contrived and artificial to the point where she halted my suspension of disbelief every moment she appeared on screen.

The kids were the best actors in the show, surprisingly.

I didn't mind her, but I definitely wish there were more scenes where she wasn't just out-of-her-mind crazy.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Apparently most of the time we see the monster it's a guy-in-a-practical-suit.

The show couldn't show a time when she was a regular mom. She went straight to 11 from the first episode. I thought Dustin was great, and they incorporated his real-life orthodontia problems very well. Benny the cook was a good role, too.

Nah, that's been done to death before. Spielberg/Hooper even did it in Poltergeist.

They gave her a few moments of levity, of being a regular mom, and she was effective. She could be effective outside of that as well. it's not a terrible performance, uneven at worst.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

I just hope the second season

Spoiler

doesn't involve an epidemic of some illness born from the upside down. At least not as some major conflict/plot point.

Instead, I hope Will alone is "infected" and having his own reality bending episodes, interacting with El on the other side which I guess can add a bit of a love triangle situation between the two of them and Mike.

 

[JaseMath]

Just finished ep 4. Loving this show so much.

Dat title theme. <3

 

[Xplatformer]

This was great. What a wonderful surprise. Some random thoughts before I pass out.

I really want the soundtrack to be released on its own. It's amazing.

Also I really liked that it evoked the 80s without being so slavish to trying to recreate Spielberg ala Super 8 or up its own ass like Ready Player One. And in text and metatextual references are mostly in context and not there to explicitly wink at the audience to get us to got OH I REMEMBER THE 80s.

The kids are the best part. I don't mind the brother/sister characters, but I probably would be okay if they didn't exist and the show was focused entirely on the kids.

The CG was terrible though. I really think they should have tried to go practical, because it couldn't look as bad as what we got in the final episode.

Edit: I guess people are talking about a potential S2? I hope this show is an anthology like American Horror Story and they just do something completely different if they want to do something else. There's no real reason to do more of the same story.

I agree 100% with part I made bold.

The anthology part...not at all (imo obviously)

imo this is a perfect cast of characters that I want to continue to see developed. I don't want this to be like True Detective or American Horror Story where the subsequent seasons couldn't live up to the originals.

 

[fluffydelusions]

3 episodes left. Love this show!

 

[Einchy]

It's gonna be a tough wait for season 2.

Final spoilers.

I was under the impression that this was a mini-series so

Spoiler

I was a bit disappointed that they set up future plotlines for season 2. I was hoping we'd see a brand new set of characters.

 

[Bladenic]

I agree 100% with part I made bold.

The anthology part...not at all (imo obviously)

imo this is a perfect cast of characters that I want to continue to see developed. I don't want this to be like True Detective or American Horror Story where the subsequent seasons couldn't live up to the originals.

But AHS S2 was way better than the S1 shit.

 

[hendersonhank]

It's stricking how times have changed, as far as I remember something like kids saying "fag" to each other or a teenager nonchalantly admitting to her mother she slept with someone was simply unheard of in a movie (for kids and teenagers anyway).

The Monster Squad (1987), no doubt one of the inspirations for this series, had plenty of scenes with kids throwing around "homo" and "faggot".

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Final spoilers.

I was under the impression that this was a mini-series so

Spoiler

I was a bit disappointed that they set up future plotlines for season 2. I was hoping we'd see a brand new set of characters.

Spoiler

I'm actually glad to keep going with these characters. We'll get some new ones regardless. (not that a Fargo situation wouldn't have been fine too)

 

[backflip10019]

Fuck me I'm so sad this is over.

Spoiler

Also didn't expect this to almost move me to tears.

 

[mantidor]

The Monster Squad (1987), no doubt one of the inspirations for this series, had plenty of scenes with kids throwing around "homo" and "faggot".

Well I did watch most of this dubbed back then since I'm not from the US, so my memory is a bit hazy, but I do remember how taboo some things were, language is a given that I probably didn't get it, but things like sex and hell even divorce were no no at the time.

 

[Kazaam]

Really don't get that impression at all. I'd guess you're younger and not as familiar with the 80s and the films and other media it's strongly cribbing from?

Not that young... I get that they're both referencing a lot of the same things, it's just funny how similar some moments are between this and Beyond Two Souls. Obviously directing and writing is up a notch, though sometimes it really hits the David Cage mark (the mother and the chief are handled in a perfectly Cagey way). Speaking of being young and not as familiar with the 80s... the Duffer brothers are very young and in my opinion you can sort of see that they lived their 80s more through revisiting those films than actually living through those years. Also I wouldn't be surprised if they'd actually be quite familiar with David Cage's work and Beyond Two Souls... especially given their age.

 

[zaccheus]

I dont even think this needs a season 2. Could just end and be fine. It'd be cool if it was kind of like x-files and we jump to another weird fucked up thing in 1980s america. Maybe some yetis or something.

Spoiler

I think that the 'underneath' is an alternate reality where a nuke fucked up the US and possibly the whole world. The monster is probably a mutated human being, as it's a lot like a human in it's structure aside from its opening flower face. They constantly bring up Russians, cold war, and government programs for arming the US. Everything in this other dimension seems to exist in ours in some form, but it looks as if some kind of catastrophe hit. The pool that barb fell into on the other side looked really dirty and out of use.

I'm sad that barb died. it's always the nerdy chicks.

 

[exmachina64]

They'll film it like a combination of Boyhood and Stephen King's It.

Spoiler

They will film the second season over a ten year period following all the actors in real time following their characters as they grow older. The story is more sprawling and grand and takes all different kinds of paths as the kids grow up, Hob does his shady stuff for the government and Joyce deals with the repercussions of what's happening to Will. It mixes the strangeness of it all as they advance through the 80's following real life events as well as the fictional story line that spans the US and other dimensions. We watch the actors and their characters actually age and deal with the mundane issues all kinds of crazy shit happens as well with things slowly building and building. You release that long awaited season ten years later and boom, epic story telling, literally.

Then the third season is like the second half of Stephen Kind's It where the kids are all grown up, Hobb is even more burnt out but for more Lovecraftian reasons, Will is on the run from the government and 11 returns from the Upside Down like Connor did in Angel (the show) but actually bad ass after all those years training, honing her powers and surviving the terrors of the Upside Down. Its 1993 it all comes full circle as Dr Brenner shockingly returns chasing after 11 all these years later but he's different now. Something happened to him after the monster dragged him there a decade ago and now he is a force of nature acting like the Tall Man from Phantasm and bringing all manner of surreal and terrifying horrors with him to destroy humanity. The characters all set a crash course to huge climax as they confront the ultimate evil and finish what was started so long ago.

Spoiler

I smoked some good pot

 

[faceless007]

Finished ep 3. I like it so far but part of me feels like it wears its inspirations on its sleeve so closely that it barely feels original at all. I'm hoping it comes together into something a little more than a copy of the source material it's aping.

As for Ryder, I think she's just barely this side of acceptable hysterics without becoming self-parody (so far), but the way she

Spoiler

put together that Will was communicating through lights so quickly and easily was pretty silly. Maybe if they had previously established her as someone who already believes in paranormal communication fervently, but as others have said, there hasn't been any time for her to be normal at all.

 

[fluffydelusions]

Finished it. What a show. Loved every minute!

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Finished ep 3. I like it so far but part of me feels like it wears its inspiration on its sleeve so closely that it barely feels original at all. I'm hoping it comes together into something a little more than a copy of the source material it's aping.

As for Ryder, I think she's just barely this side of acceptable hysterics without becoming self-parody (so far), but the way she

Spoiler

put together that Will was communicating through lights so quickly and easily was pretty silly. Maybe if they had previously established her as someone who already believes in paranormal communication fervently, but as others have said, there hasn't been any time for her to be normal at all.

Oh, it definitely wears it's inspirations on it's sleeve, without question, and I could instantly spot them all, which was part of the fun. It could be considered a flaw, no argument there, but I let it go.

It does what Super 8 tried to do, at least for me, in that it's heavily influenced by 80's films(which speaks to me) but manages to resonate emotionally(like, a lot) while also not losing most of my interest during it's 'final' act. It's got a superior group of kids as well.

It may not be original in the grand scheme of things, but perhaps it can be called original in the TV space it's currently occupying.

I loved it regardless, recognizing potential flaws and giving them a pass. (and also, I bet the more you watch it, the more it will grow on you.)

 

[IDontBeatGames]

Finished it today, and I have to say it left me in a state of just "wow". I loved every single minute of it and I can't wait for more.

 

[MaKTaiL]

I just noticed something. Will needed to roll a 14 to kill the Demagorgon on the D&D game.

14 = 11 + 3 (the three kids)

The reason why it failed the first time is because they didn't have Eleven on their team yet. Nice little hint there. This show is amazing.

 

[Fritz]

BTW for anyone needing an 80s fix I can recommend Red Oaks on amazon. Completely different genre but I thought similarly charming in that regard.

 

[Kwansu Dudes]

Just finished and that's how you make a god damn show with kids. Everyone played their part convincingly well and I really enjoyed everything minus the soundtrack. I felt like the majority of it didn't fit the scenes well enough and the composer just threw ideas together on a synthesizer and said, "analog sound, so it must be 80s!". I hope IT's cast is as good as this one.

Ending Spoilers

Spoiler

I love the fact that they were able to Wrap up the story in this season with a segue into the next one.

Great show if you enjoy mysteries.

 

[Koozek]

Just finished. Fantastic show. Very well-done, great cast, especially Eleven, and the music was dope, too.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Just woke up with a certain song/lyric in my head and said "OH SHIT!"

Spoiler

"Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double..." Will's going to have to make some important decisions regarding the upside down.

 

[Sanjuro]

I'm too afraid to continue this show due to my Winona Ryder hate.

So far,

+ Good vibe
+ Child story arc
+ Toto

- Ryder's performance
- Arcs with the side characters feel like they are going nowhere interesting.

Between this and Preacher I've been quiting shows at a much higher rate of late. Usually I power through all.

Believe I'm on episode 4?

Spoiler

Sheriff just found the void.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

I'm too afraid to continue this show due to my Winona Ryder hate.

So far,

+ Good vibe
+ Child story arc
+ Toto

- Ryder's performance
- Arcs with the side characters feel like they are going nowhere interesting.

Between this and Preacher I've been quiting shows at a much higher rate of late. Usually I power through all.

Believe I'm on episode 4?

Spoiler

Sheriff just found the void.

Their arcs develop and come together interestingly. Keep going and make your decision afterwards.

Winona seems to be hit or miss with a lot of folks. I happened to dig her performance and as I've said before, I especially like the contrast in her flashbacks.

 

[Sanjuro]

Their arcs develop and come together interestingly. Keep going and make your decision afterwards.

Winona seems to be hit or miss with a lot of folks. I happened to dig her performance and as I've said before, I especially like the contrast in her flashbacks.

Preacher was just incoherent nonsense, so that had to stop.

I actually like the flashbacks here. Nothing really seems formulaic when they use them which is refreshing.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Preacher was just incoherent nonsense, so that had to stop.

I actually like the flashbacks here. Nothing really seems formulaic when they use them which is refreshing.

I haven't checked out Preacher yet.

Yes, they come when they're needed when a character is in deep thought. Helps fill the audience in rather than having another character explaining "so and so used to such and such and now they're this and that" as I see often.

 

[duckroll]

4 episodes in. I don't think Winona is bad, I just think people don't tend to like seeing a crazy woman being crazy. Even though she's not "crazy", she's crazy!

 

[brainchild]

Another criticism I have of the show is that I didn't feel that there was enough meaningful content to warrant 8 episodes. Every significant plot point could have been conveyed within 4 episodes, and the only difference would have been a more tightly packaged script with better pacing.

At this point, I could pick the show apart on a technical level but it made up for its shortcomings with the authentic '80s style vibe and atmosphere, which made me feel like a kid again, so there no way I could not love this show. However, I really wish there was more substance to the story than what we ended up getting. It wasn't enough to be forced to wait for a whole new season just to get to the good stuff (plot-wise).

 

[brainchild]

4 episodes in. I don't think Winona is bad, I just think people don't tend to like seeing a crazy woman being crazy. Even though she's not "crazy", she's crazy!

Nah, I love crazy. Kathy Bates in Misery was crazy and I enjoyed every minute of her antics.

Winona just didn't feel believable, like, at all.

 

[UrbanRats]

4 episodes in. I don't think Winona is bad, I just think people don't tend to like seeing a crazy woman being crazy. Even though she's not "crazy", she's crazy!

*shrug* i thought she was fine.
And i made fun of her in the past, for shit like Dracula, but she didn't strike me as out of place bad in this at all.

 

[brainchild]

*shrug* i thought she was fine.
And i made fun of her in the past, for shit like Dracula, but she didn't strike me as out of place bad in this at all.

I can see why people wouldn't mind her acting in this show, tbh. The film direction is slightly stylized so there's a hint of fiction inherent to all of the characters, giving leeway to some embellished expressions. But even in that context, I just don't think Winona pulled it off. It always seemed like she was playing a character on screen instead of the character herself coming to life.

 

[Sanjuro]

4 episodes in. I don't think Winona is bad, I just think people don't tend to like seeing a crazy woman being crazy. Even though she's not "crazy", she's crazy!

I think more development for her character can help in later episodes. Right now I'm stuck at "Will!".

 

[UrbanRats]

I can see why people wouldn't mind her acting in this show, tbh. The film direction is slightly stylized so there's a hint of fiction inherent to all of the characters, giving leeway to some embellished expressions. But even in that context, I just don't think Winona pulled it off. It always seemed like she was playing a character on screen instead of the character herself coming to life.

I can see that, but these type of things also change based on a subjective level, i think.
The people you interact with in your life and all that.
A certain behavior may come off more or less natural, based on that.

 

[brainchild]

I can see that, but these type of things also change based on a subjective level, i think.
The people you interact with in your life and all that.
A certain behavior may come off more or less natural, based on that.

That is most certainly true and could explain the split between people who are fine with her acting and people who are not.

 

[Matty77]

Not that young... I get that they're both referencing a lot of the same things, it's just funny how similar some moments are between this and Beyond Two Souls. Obviously directing and writing is up a notch, though sometimes it really hits the David Cage mark (the mother and the chief are handled in a perfectly Cagey way). Speaking of being young and not as familiar with the 80s... the Duffer brothers are very young and in my opinion you can sort of see that they lived their 80s more through revisiting those films than actually living through those years. Also I wouldn't be surprised if they'd actually be quite familiar with David Cage's work and Beyond Two Souls... especially given their age.

While the duffer bro's may have gotten a lot of knowledge through osmosis, they are not very young, they were born in 84 so I would say they were close enough to get a pretty good picture of what it was like.

 

[ClivePwned]

just starting now. Its great.

 

[HStallion]

As much as I love the main supernatural story I really love all the little character moments.

Spoiler

Nance's mother picking the lock of her room with her hair pin after she and Will escape out the window or when Dustin and Mike are having a conversation while riding to Lucas' house about who is whose best friend and how someone can have more than one best friend. That last conversation I distinctly remember having with my group of friends when I was young. Even the Science teacher being shown as having a life outside of the classroom, and a damn good one at that! I think that's part of makes the show work so well is that the characters have lives outside the plot.

 

[Ecto311]

Wonder if this video Portishead - Only You was any inspiration for this show.

Watching the last episode today and man what a good ass show.

 

[Fantastical]

Finished episode 4. Really enjoying this but Ryder is hilariously over-the-top.

 

[bunbun777]

I really believe Ryder's performance is more than adequate, not derivitive. She presents the connection from real to unreal, from what little we see of her character she works hard and cares deeply for her boys and tries to foster their uniqueness but has to live with her best not being able to fix her or their problems with the rest of the town. In her limited power she does the best she can and doesn't stop believing. She bridges the audience with the unknown in a emotional and desperate way that is uncomfortable, but also somewhat familiar. Being self aware of her own behavior but unable to find any alternatives is the real crazy part, and I believe added to the danger and excitement.

Being a child of the 80's I couldn't stop seeing great references, one of my favorites was the ferris bueler clothes on under the bed, or just seeing the meta "you're a cliche" exchange between the the sister and the popular guy, (breakfast club) and the show itself taking a poke at the nature of the presentation. And the stand by me railroad tracks scene felt good.

 

[Kalentan]

I dont even think this needs a season 2. Could just end and be fine. It'd be cool if it was kind of like x-files and we jump to another weird fucked up thing in 1980s america. Maybe some yetis or something.

Spoiler

I think that the 'underneath' is an alternate reality where a nuke fucked up the US and possibly the whole world. The monster is probably a mutated human being, as it's a lot like a human in it's structure aside from its opening flower face. They constantly bring up Russians, cold war, and government programs for arming the US. Everything in this other dimension seems to exist in ours in some form, but it looks as if some kind of catastrophe hit. The pool that barb fell into on the other side looked really dirty and out of use.

I'm sad that barb died. it's always the nerdy chicks.

Spoiler

The issue I have with this theory is that it doesn't make a lot of sense. It's clear that the upside down is effected by things in the real world. When they burned the creature in their house, the ground was burned in the upside down. Not to mention Wills fort was also around. I think it's more likely a dark mirror dimension.

 

[Tankard]

Watched the first episode, this is so hype.
Top notch acting, ambiance, soundtrack and intense story.
Will watch the rest as soon as possible.