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[JoeBoy101]

Obviously, SPOILERS.

Figured with the number of people binge watching, we could shift the deeper discussion to a safer spot. Some thoughts to get the discussion going:

- The hell is going on with Will? This seems to be a major question right now and with the slug scene at the end, and some of his behavior afterwards. I do think its still him, but he seems to be able to blink through the dimensional barrier like the creature. This begs the question of what the creature was doing with him. Plus, the fact they tracked the blood to Will does suggest that maybe its not Will?

- A big question I have afterwards was is there more than one creature? We only ever seem to see one, and it seems like when Joyce and Hopper were tracking the wounded one, it led them to the Library and Will. The creature was killed by El, but... man the EGG? Hopper found that egg which obviously suggests more than one.

- The show seems to suggest El is alive, but has she trapped herself in the Upside Down? In an Astral plane?

Anyways, go at it kids. Just, nobody pull a Lando.

 

[Matty77]

Don't have much to say at this second but will subscribe with the binge watch ability the OT is already starting to get hard to read from all the black bars.

 

[HStallion]

I think Will is caught between worlds. He came back to our world with some of the Upside Down still inside of him with those slugs he's puking up and who know's what else and unlike EL, he doesn't have psychic powers to help him manage and control the issue which is why it seemed like he flashed from our world to the Upside Down and back again in the bathroom.

 

[Kvik]

1. Something must've came out of that eggshell.
2. Nancy having second thoughts about Steve.
3. Government cover-up includes a lead on #11 probable approximate location after her disintergation, maybe?

 

[JoeBoy101]

3. Government cover-up includes a lead on #11 probable approximate location after her disintergation, maybe?

Yeah, but it didn't seem like she disintegrated so much as disappeared. Tough to tell with the flickering lights though.

1. Something must've came out of that eggshell.

The lengthy slug thing that was in Will perhaps?

 

[bananafactory]

What actually happened to El at the end?

Was there some connection between her and the beast that meant destroying it did the same to her? Or did she just use all of her energy?

 

[Demoncarnotaur]

What actually happened to El at the end?

Was there some connection between her and the beast that meant destroying it did the same to her? Or did she just use all of her energy?

I kinda thought that as she was destroying the creature it tried to flee to the otherside, which threw her there during the monsters death. AFAIK she just kinda vanished as opposed to disintegrated? I need to watch it again.

 

[bananafactory]

I kinda thought that as she was destroying the creature it tried to flee to the otherside, which threw her there during the monsters death. AFAIK she just kinda vanished as opposed to disintegrated? I need to watch it again.

True it looked she just got consumed by the cloud or whatever as it disappeared. Nothing to indicate she herself was harmed really

 

[VexMythoclast]

So if there is a season 2 will they expand on the current universe or will it be a completely new origin story and timeline?

 

[uncblue]

I know the theory is the monster is attracted to blood similar to sharks but I don't think that is completely accurate.
I don't remember Will bleeding in his abduction or Joyce the few times it attempted to break through their house walls.

 

[Pickman]

Wasn't that egg the thing that the monster was feeding on when El first approached it in the Upside Down?

Edit: Yup.

 

[RPGCrazied]

So what is that slug thing that Will threw up? Is that going to turn into another faceless beast thing?

And he can go to the upside down world at will? Confused.

 

[blainethemono]

just finished, and my biggest question is: what's up with Hop getting picked up by the men in black right before the time skip

assumed they were taking him away for some reason related to the "agreement" he worked out with them and that we wouldn't see him again, but then we see him at the office christmas party and then going out to leave food in the woods for El

i dunno what to think about this really, other than maybe he knows more about her disappearance or at least has reason to think she's still out there somewhere

 

[MidnightMania]

Is Stranger Things a one and done? Anthology series? Or will we get a season 2 continuing this story? I have no idea what Netflix is planning for.

 

[120v]

just finished, and my biggest question is: what's up with Hop getting picked up by the men in black right before the time skip

assumed they were taking him away for some reason related to the "agreement" he worked out with them and that we wouldn't see him again, but then we see him at the office christmas party and then going out to leave food in the woods for El

i dunno what to think about this really, other than maybe he knows more about her disappearance or at least has reason to think she's still out there somewhere

i took it Hop was an agent of some capacity the whole time. not working for matthew modine's "bad men" but somebody else.

i guess getting in the car per the agreement makes more sense but the bad guys are mostly killed off and exposed, i find it weird he'd get back with them right after the whole ordeal is resolved

 

[CDX]

Is Stranger Things a one and done? Anthology series? Or will we get a season 2 continuing this story? I have no idea what Netflix is planning for.

Here's what the creators of the show had to say.




http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/07...tephen-king-influenced-stranger-things?page=2

IGN: How did you approach the Netflix model, knowing that some people would binge it all at once and some won’t? Do you take the long, movie approach or do you look at it episodically?

Matt: We definitely view it as one big, long-form movie. But then it’s also novelistic in a way and we like to think of it as a big, cinematic version of a longer Stephen King book. So the idea that you can pick it up and put it down whenever you want is cool to us. The dream scenario is that someone gets hooked and picks it up and loves it and flies through it. That’s the best way to experience it.

Ross: Personally I love binging and that’s when I fell in love with TV, because it felt more cinematic and like a movie. I remember doing the Netflix DVD mail thing with the Sopranos and doing one season after the next after the next and falling in love with it that way and I thought it was a more powerful way of watching. I get the watercooler thing with something like Game of Thrones ,but I’m a binger.

IGN: Is this something you’ve thought of as a multi-year show? Do you have thoughts about where it could go in future seasons?

Matt: We wanted to do a couple things with this season. We didn’t want to do The Killing thing. We wanted it to resolve that main thing of Will going missing in the first season. So in that sense, it is like an eight-hour movie. Now, we don’t answer all the questions by the end of the season - there are definitely some dangling threads. The hope is that it feels satisfying but that we left room and that if people respond to it we can go back into this world. But if we do get to go back, it’s not a second season as much as a sequel.​

Since they treated Season 1 like a big 8 hour movie. I hope they have an amazing "trilogy" or something planned for these characters.

 

[Iadien]

Is Stranger Things a one and done? Anthology series? Or will we get a season 2 continuing this story? I have no idea what Netflix is planning for.

It clearly sets up a second season, so I hope we get it.

But if we do get to go back, it’s not a second season as much as a sequel.

Well, then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Ke2Hmkpdc the feels when Will was resuscitated.

 

[jon bones]

if they kill Steve off in a heroic death and Nancy ends up with Jonathan i'll be super pissed

#TeamSteve

 

[More_Badass]

There was a theory discussed in the main thread that the sheriff daughter's sickness/death may have been connected to the other dimension. Remember he finds the bear in the other dimension. Also the show was subltle about it, but he definitely hasn't gotten over her death. I wouldn't be surprised if the deal has to involve his daughter. That's the only thing I could see that would make him give up the kids and make a long-lasting deal with the agency.

 

[Valravn]

Seems like that thing that was in Will's body also gives the host the ability to teleport between realms. But Will was being very secretive about it after he came out of the bathroom, so maybe there's more to it. An impostor?

 

[bananafactory]

There was a theory discussed in the main thread that the sheiff daughter's sickness/death may have been connected to the other dimension. Remember he finds the bear in the other dimension. Also the show was subltle about it, but he definitely hasn't gotten over her death. I wouldn't be surprised if the deal has to involve his daughter. That's the only thing I could see that would make him give up the kids and make a long-lasting deal with the agency.

Interesting, I caught the bear thing but just assumed they both had the same toy. There could definitely be something to that.

 

[More_Badass]

Seems like that thing that was in Will's body also gives the host the ability to teleport between realms. But Will was being were secretive about it after he came out of the bathroom, so maybe there's more to it. An impostor?

Yeah, I was leaning more towards some body snatcher thing. Like he was freaked out and terrified in the bathroom...and then he comes out and "I'm fine"

Something's up

 

[jon bones]

There was a theory discussed in the main thread that the sheriff daughter's sickness/death may have been connected to the other dimension. Remember he finds the bear in the other dimension. Also the show was subltle about it, but he definitely hasn't gotten over her death. I wouldn't be surprised if the deal has to involve his daughter. That's the only thing I could see that would make him give up the kids and make a long-lasting deal with the agency.

he's not over the death, but i don't see it being connected to the upside down. that last episode was just about the theme of him feeling poweless in the past, but being able to save will in the present. also, i think the toys were just similar toys tha both kids had - only serving as a thematic connection, not a plot point. the kid had cancer, i think (and hope) they leave it at that.

the more interesting theory is that El is his daughter:

-the line "you and her would have gotten along" repeated
-the cop clearly sleeps with everyone in town
-the lose a daughter / gain a daughter theme is powerful

 

[Demoncarnotaur]

Yeah, I was leaning more towards some body snatcher thing. Like he was freaked out and terrified in the bathroom...and then he comes out and "I'm fine"

Something's up

To be fair, admitting you coughed up a demon slug and then flash teleported to the other dimension and back is a terrifying prospect. He may be lying to himself that it's just him freaking out from bad memories, and by ignoring it it'll go away.

 

[Qvoth]

i don't believe that's fake will at the end of ep 8
he's still a child after all, that kind of behaviour makes sense

 

[jon bones]

i agree - it's still "real" will

he's either: infected with whatever the radiation suits were designed to prevent OR that tube thing in his throat was shooting slugs into his belly.

whichever it is, maybe it has to do with the egg / hatching process.

the writers really did a great job balancing a satisfying ending with a sense of curiosity.

 

[kai3345]

If they do a Season 2, I hope it's an anthology. Telekenisis and The Upside Down were cool, but I don't think you'd be able to wring another season's worth of story out of that stuff.

Plus Stranger Things just sounds like the name of an anthology of weird sci-fi stories.

 

[fallengorn]

I wouldn't mind either way. A entirely different story would be cool, but they left enough dangling that I'm really curious about the fate of these characters.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

There was a theory discussed in the main thread that the sheriff daughter's sickness/death may have been connected to the other dimension. Remember he finds the bear in the other dimension. Also the show was subltle about it, but he definitely hasn't gotten over her death. I wouldn't be surprised if the deal has to involve his daughter. That's the only thing I could see that would make him give up the kids and make a long-lasting deal with the agency.

I wouldn't be surprised if the government wanted Hop to be a lookout or guardian for El wherever she is. A surrogate daughter if you will.

 

[Jest Chillin]

he's not over the death, but i don't see it being connected to the upside down. that last episode was just about the theme of him feeling poweless in the past, but being able to save will in the present. also, i think the toys were just similar toys tha both kids had - only serving as a thematic connection, not a plot point. the kid had cancer, i think (and hope) they leave it at that.

the more interesting theory is that El is his daughter:

-the line "you and her would have gotten along" repeated
-the cop clearly sleeps with everyone in town
-the lose a daughter / gain a daughter theme is powerful

Theory doesn't hold water imo. He didn't seem to know or recognize the mother and he had to call a friend, presumably a cop from the big city he was from, to locate her.

The you and her would have gotten along was just referring to the conspiracy Theory sounding stuff he was saying. It was a polite way for the sister to repeatedly express that it sounded crazy.

The lose a daughter/gain a daughter theme still holds even without El actually being his daughter.

 

[Ziltoidia 9]

Anyone else get a homage vibe for Indiana Jones with the sheriff and his hat?

 

[HStallion]

I think the whole daughter bit at the end of the show was just to juxtaposition the fact that the death of his daughter which has been eating at the Sheriff the entire show and well before it started with the fact he was actually able to save a child. I don't think it has any greater purpose than that but we shall see.

 

[jon bones]

Theory doesn't hold water imo. He didn't seem to know or recognize the mother and he had to call a friend, presumably a cop from the big city he was from, to locate her.

The you and her would have gotten along was just referring to the conspiracy Theory sounding stuff he was saying. It was a polite way for the sister to repeatedly express that it sounded crazy.

The lose a daughter/gain a daughter theme still holds even without El actually being his daughter.

yeah it's a stretch

 

[Matty77]

I think people are reading too deep into the sheriffs compliance. They had him so he was screwed, were going to leave him as a suicide(something they already did to Benny, he knows they can do it, and they already had knocked him out and bugged his place). He was doing the best he could to save himself and Joyce, save will and the only reason the company even agreed was thinking he would die and not all of them even wanted to deal. Plus they faked a kids death , made a girl go runaway who was dead. Plus they had the staties bought and sold. He literaly could only trust a half crazy lady, two teenagers and some kids. It was his only chance so he took it, pulled the lando as a man of his word and saved himself Joyce and Will.

As for the end with the car, he accomplished what he set out to do and he knew how easy they could and would get him so he got in to not make a fuss.

However by the end I do think he made a deal as indicated by the Dropbox and shit being blamed on the police. On their end he made fools out of everybody, is an asset and proved he will keep his word.

On his end he at least got partial Justice with the state troopers going down, and while he is no way in control he can at least keep an eye on an at least influence how it affects his town.

Plus I don't think his daughters connected. People say how she looked, trust me that's how you look when you panic thinking your dying, and she had cancer. He connected on a level with el because of that, even before meeting just by the shaved head( like his daughter). He knew Bennet wasn't going to kill her so giving her up was probably temporary in his mind, and working for them he now has their resources and info to try and get el back.

Just my thoughts, it seems like people try to find crazy connections in everything, the Internet breeds fan theories after all, but it seems pretty simple to me and the brothers have not said anything to contradict that, in fact their mention of The Killing even though in regards to Will leads me to believe they are not trying to confuse you or try to make any grand lore mysterys.

 

[obin_gam]

A small public service announcement - if anyone wants to know more about the MKULTRA-program (which horribly enough was real) check out this episode from The Last Podcast on the Left

 

[Matty77]

A small public service announcement - if anyone wants to know more about the MKULTRA-program (which horribly enough was real) check out this episode from The Last Podcast on the Left

Second this. Mkultra was real, kind of an offshoot of operation Paperclip.

And LPOTL is best podcast.

 

[dragonlife]

There was a theory discussed in the main thread that the sheriff daughter's sickness/death may have been connected to the other dimension. Remember he finds the bear in the other dimension. Also the show was subltle about it, but he definitely hasn't gotten over her death. I wouldn't be surprised if the deal has to involve his daughter. That's the only thing I could see that would make him give up the kids and make a long-lasting deal with the agency.

I didn't think it was the same toy at all, rather the show drawing visual parallels as a means of character motivation shown to the audience. In other words, The Sheriff wanting to save Will because he has a chance, unlike with his daughter, who we--up until that point--were left in the dark about in regards to her passing.

Essentially it's supposed to make us feel for him and understand why he's so desperate to save Will without it being a total info dump, because it did get touched on in other episodes. Like when he and Joyce were in the car and he told her that she at least had a chance [to save her kid], and that he'd give anything to have a chance to save his daughter.

 

[Calcium]

So does the company know that El is still alive? Seems odd that Hopper would know and they wouldn't. Why would they be keeping her in The Upside Down if they know? If they don't know how does Hopper know? Are we to assume they saw her while bringing Will back? Man, so many questions.

 

[strafer]

i never got the lando quote

 

[Ziltoidia 9]

i never got the lando quote

Spoiler

Lando turned Han, Leia, Chewie and C3P0 over to vader/Boba Fett in ESB.

Put spoiler tag just in case, I guess.

 

[dapperbandit]

I'm gonna say it's the real Will, but the slug thing is due to his extended exposure and having that thing on his face, it's a physical side effect he'll never recover from. I think we can assume that's not his first slug.

Speaking of which, the monster itself is pretty much the only problem I had with the show. The CGI in a few places felt somewhat budget. Not enough to cause any real problems, but the rest of the show was so slick in style and presentation that it stands out.

The actual design of the monster itself never felt too important, so I'm not sure why they decided to present it that way... I mean there's literally a bit where they're praising the practical effects used in The Thing.

But yeah I binged it and absolutely loved it, felt very much like a TV adaptation of a Stephen King novel. Some stories just demand the kind of running time that a film can't provide. The show had the right amount of horror, the right amount of high school drama... it maybe showed it's hand too early with the Sci-Fi stuff, otherwise fantastic.

The girl who played Eleven was very, very good. All the kids were actually.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Its Netflix, so forgive the budget.

I thought the monster was fine, plus I really liked the look of the upside down world, everything decaying. Very cool.

 

[ThLunarian]

I really enjoyed it.

However, it seems like they forgot that Mike has a little sister after like episode 3. Do we even see her again after that?

 

[More_Badass]

Its Netflix, so forgive the budget.

I thought the monster was fine, plus I really liked the look of the upside down world, everything decaying. Very cool.

I think it looked best in that quick shot in episode 3

 

[MrToughPants]

if they kill Steve off in a heroic death and Nancy ends up with Jonathan i'll be super pissed

#TeamSteve

I hope his hair returns in S2.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

To be fair, admitting you coughed up a demon slug and then flash teleported to the other dimension and back is a terrifying prospect. He may be lying to himself that it's just him freaking out from bad memories, and by ignoring it it'll go away.

Plus, whatever new goons the government sends in the wake of Brenner's death would want Will.

My guess is that in season 2, we'll meet actual people from The Upside Down as well as learn more about the Lovecraftian creatures. There's a theory in the main thread that the Upside Down is a world where the Cold War actually happened, hence Eleven being able to travel to that dimension so easily. The monster may or may not have been human at once time, or is an offspring of mutated humans. It certainly is intelligent enough to know when to go back and forth.

 

[More_Badass]

Plus, whatever new goons the government sends in the wake of Brenner's death would want Will.

My guess is that in season 2, we'll meet actual people from The Upside Down as well as learn more about the Lovecraftian creatures. There's a theory in the main thread that the Upside Down is a world where the Cold War actually happened, hence Eleven being able to travel to that dimension so easily. The monster may or may not have been human at once time, or is an offspring of mutated humans. It certainly is intelligent enough to know when to go back and forth.

Interestingly the other dimension doesn't seem like just an alternate universe, but a literal mirror copy down to the pool, the Bryce fort, etc.

While an anthology series would be cool, exploring different sci-fi and horror elements each season with the same characters could also be cool. Given what we know about the other dimension and Will, season 2 could feature body horror, dive more into the nature of parallel dimensions, etc.

 

[Sölf]

So, one thing that bothers me a bit. Do you think, we see the same monster the whole time? The final episode puzzles me a bit. That thing gets burned and goes back into the USD. The Sheriff and Wil's mother see the blood trail and follow it until it completely vanishes near the Library. And after that, we see the monster appear at the school. But I am not sure if that is really the same thing or another monster of the same species. It just seems a bit weird. I doubt the library and school are near to each other. Maybe it just wasn't handled that way and the blood trail became less and less but we didn't see it. So it simply stopped bleeding at the library.

 

[More_Badass]

So, one thing that bothers me a bit. Do you think, we see the same monster the whole time? The final episode puzzles me a bit. That thing gets burned and goes back into the USD. The Sheriff and Wil's mother see the blood trail and follow it until it completely vanishes near the Library. And after that, we see the monster appear at the school. But I am not sure if that is really the same thing or another monster of the same species. It just seems a bit weird. I doubt the library and school are near to each other. Maybe it just wasn't handled that way and the blood trail became less and less but we didn't see it. So it simply stopped bleeding at the library.

The thing was tanking bullets with ease. I don't think the fire or traps or bat really hurt it that much. Or maybe stuff from our dimension don't really hurt it in significant ways

 

[NoblesseOblige]

So, one thing that bothers me a bit. Do you think, we see the same monster the whole time? The final episode puzzles me a bit. That thing gets burned and goes back into the USD. The Sheriff and Wil's mother see the blood trail and follow it until it completely vanishes near the Library. And after that, we see the monster appear at the school. But I am not sure if that is really the same thing or another monster of the same species. It just seems a bit weird. I doubt the library and school are near to each other. Maybe it just wasn't handled that way and the blood trail became less and less but we didn't see it. So it simply stopped bleeding at the library.

I was beginning to think there was multiple as well. Mainly because the thing didn't seem particularly keen on just slaughtering everyone aimlessly. I mean, they call it just a basic animal at one point, meaning it just kills to feed. So after finding a room full of dead it should have been satisfied and gone away. But instead it continued to peruse the children.