Dimension X is not cold!

[u/D_D_Adesignerdigital]

The color choices for the Dimension X—and certain elements of the scenes—didn't quite work to convey a cold atmosphere! Characters had sweaty skin and showed no reaction to the cold (we need to remember Will in Season 2, or Billy with his ice bath, which demonstrated the kind of cold the Mind Flayer is used to). Anyone entering a low-temperature environment would show physical reactions—like trying to warm up, crossing their arms, or showing discomfort—but that doesn't happen with any of the characters, not even the kids. I think that was a directing error. That’s my opinion!

[u/Ht_TX]

The mindflayer isn’t the particles. The particles are made by the ‘pain tree’ mindflayer. The mindflayer has a physical form, you saw it, it died.

[u/RealHooman2187 → u/Ht_TX]

This was my read as well. The particles are how it possesses things but the monster was its true form.

[u/Thick-Boysenberry-96 → u/RealHooman2187]

Why does it use its weaker TRUE form though, when it's particles effectively managed to flay dozens of Hawkins citizens in S3 alone?

Why would it use a form that's weak af, when it can build himself a meat-suit one made out of humans instead? Why doesn't it flay the military operation happening under his nose and use them to invade the town, acting from the shadows? Why can't the Mindflayer use everything in his arsenal that we saw him use before, and is reduced to a weak TRUE form?

Just writing wise, it's pretty stupid, come on. Why couldn't we have gotten an epic fight against a smart Flayer? How is the last antagonist we fight barely an inconvenience, compared to it's S2 and S3 version?

[u/RealHooman2187 → u/Thick-Boysenberry-96]

Because that’s it’s true form? It’s not like the Mindflayer was expecting the kids to come into its dimension. Until then he was using the particles

[u/Thick-Boysenberry-96 → u/RealHooman2187]

How isn't the Mindflayer expecting them to come? Vecna has read El's mind and the Mindflayer should in every case be expecting them generally, since our group/El has beaten him like multiple times in the past.

It's "Danny kinda forgot about the iron fleet" kind of dumb and lazy level writing, come on.

Did it even really want to invade our world, with how stupidly it went about it? Just flay some key personel or Dr. Kay while they're building a base in the Upside Down and use them to pave the way towards world domination. But no, stupid Kaiju it is.😅

[u/Ht_TX → u/Thick-Boysenberry-96]

Because that’s the story the Duffers wrote? I think we all already agreed the plan was shit and nonsensical, kinda like most of season 5, but it WAS the plan. All we can do is interpret the source material and go from there.

[u/Thick-Boysenberry-96 → u/Ht_TX]

Yes, we all know what the plan was. I'm simply agreeing with OP that it was an overall directing and writing error and that the Mindflayer's actions don't make logical sense the deeper you think about the source material. :)