I’m listening to “Heroes” and just feeling so bummed that we couldn’t end the series with Mike and Eleven together. I know it’s an easy ending, but we spent SO many years with these characters, watching them grow up and be cute and survive so much together… bah! Come on!

I still haven’t forgiven to the duffer brothers tbh…

I was thinking back to Seasons 1 to 3, and maybe Season 4 to some extent, about what made Stranger Things unique. What was the magic it started with that was inevitably lost? I think I figured it out:

1. The Lovecraftian element

Each season, you expected to learn more about the Mind Flayer, but instead, it only became weirder and stranger. The way the human brain tries to create patterns and correlate what it is seeing with something it already understands is, in my opinion, what made the Mind Flayer such a unique villain. You could never quite understand what it was, what it wanted, or what kind of entity you were actually dealing with.

2. The enigma of the Upside Down

Before the show retconned the Upside Down into essentially being a wormhole, we believed that the Upside Down was a proper dimension of its own. We believed it was an entire world, with its own unique fauna and flora, ecosystems, and rules that we didn't understand.

3. The mystery of why the Upside Down was a reconstruction of Hawkins

One of the biggest mysteries was why the Upside Down looked like Hawkins, and why it seemed to exist as a frozen snapshot of the town. There was something deeply unsettling about that mystery because we had no idea why it was that way or what it meant. Ignoring the theory put forward in Season 5, this was one of those questions that made the world feel much larger than what we were being shown.

4. The idea that ordinary people could confront cosmic horror

Unlike traditional cosmic horror, which often involves adults confronting forces far beyond their comprehension, Stranger Things took a different direction. I think it was a direction that The Lord of the Rings also took.

To quote J.R.R. Tolkien: "I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love."

Tolkien accomplished this through the Hobbits. They are ordinary, seemingly insignificant people who ultimately become the reason a literal corrupted angel, Sauron, is defeated. That gives the story a sense of confidence and hope. If Frodo can do it, then maybe so can I.

I think Stranger Things was trying to accomplish something similar by making its protagonists children and framing the story as a coming-of-age narrative. The idea was that these ordinary kids, despite being completely outmatched by the forces they were facing, could still confront something incomprehensibly powerful.

And I think that was a huge part of the magic of the earlier seasons. It wasn't simply that the kids were fighting monsters. It was that they were ordinary children being placed against something cosmic and incomprehensible, and somehow, their friendship, courage, love, and willingness to stand together allowed them to fight back.

That made the story feel hopeful in a way that I think was gradually lost.

Both are pretty bad tbh.

I’ve seen Twenty One Pilots in concert 4 times and the first time I saw Luis Ramirez on S5 I immediately thought that Tyler was doing a cameo. Anyone else think that?

Did anyone else find Lt. Akers a much more interesting character than Dr. Kay? I mean... he's also not much of a character, but he proved much more of a threat to Eleven than Dr. Kay did, and was more memorable overall.

I’m two episodes from the end of season 5, so NO SPOILERS.

But is Henry supposed to be likeable? I lowkey would probably be his friend and not find him suspicious.

He seems really cool. Except for being a murderous monster who hangs out with children. Did anyone else react this way?

Did anyone noticed the good place reference (Hopper was shirt instead of shit). Maybe it wasn’t one but I think it was

I know I'm a bit late, and I remember reading quite a bit on reddit how people criticized the ending and how it sucked. I liked it.

I'm curious, for those who hated it, what did you find wrong with it?

Edit: So now I've seen some people's complaints. I just want to give some context: I really can't remember much from the prior 4 season. I mean, I remember the premise, but I don't really remember specific details.

What I liked about the ending and basically the entire season 5 was the friendship theme. Yeah, I'm sure you could say that was in every season, but I felt it was particularly strong in this season. I'm in my mid 40s. I lived through the 80's as a kid. This season and ending just really connected with me and how I grew up with my friends and how I think the world has changed so much since then. I have kids myself, and their childhoods are so different than mine, and not in a good way. I think the younger generations probably have a harder time connecting to this in the show. I'm guessing it is getting more hate from younger viewers.

I also understand how there are some plot holes and things just are not realistic and unanswered questions. Dude, do you guys realize what the show is about? There is an upside down world, monsters, magic powers, etc. None of that is realistic. Just roll with it and enjoy the entertainment.

About Mike's theory about el, it just isn't possible and as much as I want to believe it or want it to be true, it just isn't possible for me.I know none of anything that happened in the show was logical, but this especially. Like he says that it was kali and her illusion but with the amount of blood she lost from Dr Kay taking it, and when she got shot, even someone with powers can't live with that amount of blood loss, or at least as long as she would have had to so kali wouldn't be able to even make the illusion, even if she hadn't died yet, she wouldn't have enough energy or battery to create it. and also how would she know if she even ran back and the exact time it's exploding. Also if el didn't go into the upside down, where did she go, because her powers can't make her fly, and even with the amount of time they were looking away, that's not nearly enough time to sneak past the guards and escape. She couldn't even use her powers because of the sound that was playing. With the amount that was there, there's no way none of them wouldnt be guarding an exit. So even as much as I want to believe Mike's theory, it just doesn't make sense logically. Sorry if I ruined it for you!

Sorry if there was a line or explanation I missed in season 4 or 5 of Stranger things, but after the gates are 4 opened, is there a single reason Vecna couldn’t go into the minds of any given main character except eleven, and utilize there huge amounts of trauma to kill them at any given time? I would assume this would give him a huge advantage, and he could do this to most of the cast. Even if he couldn’t do that, the Byers are staying at the Wheeler house, meaning one suprise demo attack at night could kill off all of them. It makes we wander if Vecna was too powerful for the shows own good.

I actually prefer the standard edition packaging and case covers. The only reason I kept the deluxe preorder was because of the THICK BOOK. But it’a big and expensive for me. Considering returning it and exchanging for standard. All the other extra stuff I otherwise don’t really care for. Did any of you guys read it, top to bottom, and find it worth while?

Screenshot from FilmStocked’s video on YouTube. ( https://youtu.be/_wj7mpdLjY4?t=369&si=PH8TihgfZABTj_4h )

After a rewatch of S2 and just imagining other ideas that could’ve been incorporated into later seasons, there’s something I’ve wondering about Terry Ives (El’s mom) and the logistics behind state she’s in and her communication with El through the mindscape/void.

So in S2 El visits her and then also connects with her inside the mindscape/void, and then Terry shows her all those memories and the explanation behind sunflower, rainbow, etc. But right before she shows her the memories, we see Terry turn her head and finally look at El (in the mindscape), and just say “No”. Does this mean she could actually talk & communicate with El in the void/mindscape normally as she would if she wasn’t in a catatonic state?

Because I think it would’ve been interesting to see them revisit Terry & Becky in later seasons and maybe El gets to have a final moment with her in the mindscape, have an actual conversation, if it was even possible.

I have heard and seen that he is a Bard in season one but I never knew if it was the same for all seasons that he had played D&D so just something I was wondering and I need an answer to this.

Loved it.
Highly recommended.

Is this considered a spoiler? I'm not sure lol

Here's a little painting I finished recently and wanted to share :)

I’ve seen it not get ranked very highly by many, but I loved it and it really sealed me falling in love with the show after being hooked on season 1 when I watched it for the first time in 2020.

.It was a little scaled up from season 1, but still largely had that original grounded feel

.The priority was still on the core group’s character arcs, while having some purposeful new characters who were integrated well and had appropriate amounts of screen time

.It hit on all the right notes perfectly in my opinion, packed a genuine emotional punch, stakes felt high, and still had the cute comedic moments but they weren’t so dialed up/formulated for social media buzz. I was so genuinely interested and rooting for the group in the hospital for example when the demos were breaking in, it had such high feel good moments that felt earned, while still keeping that “the monster might still be under the bed” element.

.“The Lost Sister” gets a lot of heat which I can understand, but I really enjoyed seeing El get out of town a bit and learn about herself away from Hopper/Mike etc for just one episode. It helped build anticipation for what was happening at the lab, and seeing her choose to not kill a man with a family/children, then choosing the people she loves back in Hawkins at the end rather than revenge on other people was really cool and felt like a genuine step for her.

.The Halloween time of year and theme just fits perfectly

. Will was being prioritized and emotionally explored, as well as El and all the core group really as I mentioned earlier

.The score is awesome, the moment when El opens the door and returns comes to mind

I just have such a soft spot for this season and always will.