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Stranger Things [SPOILER THREAD] We're All Fleas Now
- Thread starter JoeBoy101
- Start date
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
Nah I think she's just plain ole dead, Elle was saying "gone" "gone" about her.
She's dead. They showed her bloated corpse with a slug coming out her mouth, and el told Nancy she was dead.
Green Embers
Member
Yeah, I know the experiments were based on real things. I guess it would have helped if I linked to the NeoGAF thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1215255
A reddit user was creating posts about the real LSD experiments and then tying in fictional stuff like flesh portals. I found it super interesting and this show reminded me of it.
How did I missed that?! Gonna rewatch. Thanks, guys.
Thanks for the link actually, that stuff fascinates me will be checking it out.
No problem almost missed it myself, it happened fast and there was a lot going on, it was when they had el in the makeshift deprivation tub in the gym.
lifeexpectancy
Member
OH, how amazing this show is. What follows is my blog about it, for those that care to read. Obviously some of it will be repetitive if you have already seen and talked about the show.
Stranger Things, a brief 8-episode “long summer movie” (their words), is a supernatural sci-fi, thriller, conspiracy, love story, and adventure tale all rolled into one. It is all the best things about 80s cinema, with none of the drawbacks, and the added benefit of modern filming in HD. Baggy pants and moppy hair-dos have never had so many pixels!
I’ll try to keep the synopsis brief. Winona Ryder plays the part of a grieving mother, whose son Will disappears under mysterious circumstances. At the same time, a strange girl shows up and joins with his friends in searching for him. While at first many might write off the young group of boys, which are central to the show’s plot, as just another “show made by boys for boys”, the directors saw fit to make two of the strongest characters in the show the female parts. The part played by the ‘strange girl’, a character simply named Eleven, turns out to be the strongest of them all.
Even Nancy, the stereotypical “perfect girl” (aka a virginal, academically-inclined, yet attractive teen girl) turns out to be the stronger of the two within her dynamic pair. Her counterpart in Jonathan (the older brother to the missing boy) is actually quite inept when it comes to fighting ‘the villain’, at least compared to Nancy. There is even a 3rd very strong female character in Barbara, perhaps the strongest of all, but unfortunately we don’t see much of her. I’ll let you find out why if you STILL somehow haven’t watched the show and are reading this.
So with that as the setup, we follow three main story arcs, that of the mother, that of the older brother and Nancy, and that of the group of boys with Eleven, each of the pursuing the Stranger Things going on around them in their own ways. Chief Hopper, a big-city cop that has moved to the small town ostensibly in search of relief from the horrors of being a big-city officer, quickly detects something despicable going on, and joins forces with Winona’s character Joyce, attempting to uncover the truth and help her find her son.
The show has all the hallmarks of some of the greatest 80s cinema. I somehow discovered it before even knowing it existed, watched all eight episodes, and proclaimed it as “The Goonies meets Stephen King” long before I read a single sentence about the show anywhere else. The influences are THAT obvious, and not in a bad way at all. I’ve seen a few references to E.T., but to be honest I don’t get the E.T. vibe from it, necessarily. Sure, the kids spend a lot of time on their bicycles, but other than that it reads a lot more King than Spielberg. Equal doses Stand By Me and The Goonies, with a touch of It and The Langoliers, the show is just fantastic. I even get some Breakfast Club moments here, which is weird but cool in a sci-fi thriller.
In any other context, someone talking about “The Upside-down” as a real place you could travel to would be comically silly, but this show somehow imbues those words with such seriousness, that you can’t help but be afraid to whisper them to the mirror with the lights out at night. Not that saying them in front of the mirror has any bearing on the show’s plot, mind you. I’m just trying to get across how evil those words have become through the brilliance of the show’s writing.
Right down to the opening credits/title, which happen a lot later into each episode than a lot of shows, Stranger Things tops my list of what can be obtained with a minimalist approach in storytelling. In an interview with the Duffer brothers, the show’s director siblings, they talk about how they focused on striking, yet simple imagery. The ominous music, powerful lettering style, and lack of frills make the title screen alone foreboding and striking, while still somehow remaining unassuming. No need for the over-the-top, over-produced opening sequences so many movies and shows favor these days, folks. These guys know how well a little can go a long way, and they absolutely nailed it. Besides, some crazy modern opening credits would have seemed quite anachronistic when bookended by the rest of the show’s chique.
The ending???? Well I think it's safe to assume that whatever crawled out of Will's mouth at the end will play a key role, if not Will himself as the new villain.
Stranger Things, a brief 8-episode “long summer movie” (their words), is a supernatural sci-fi, thriller, conspiracy, love story, and adventure tale all rolled into one. It is all the best things about 80s cinema, with none of the drawbacks, and the added benefit of modern filming in HD. Baggy pants and moppy hair-dos have never had so many pixels!
I’ll try to keep the synopsis brief. Winona Ryder plays the part of a grieving mother, whose son Will disappears under mysterious circumstances. At the same time, a strange girl shows up and joins with his friends in searching for him. While at first many might write off the young group of boys, which are central to the show’s plot, as just another “show made by boys for boys”, the directors saw fit to make two of the strongest characters in the show the female parts. The part played by the ‘strange girl’, a character simply named Eleven, turns out to be the strongest of them all.
Even Nancy, the stereotypical “perfect girl” (aka a virginal, academically-inclined, yet attractive teen girl) turns out to be the stronger of the two within her dynamic pair. Her counterpart in Jonathan (the older brother to the missing boy) is actually quite inept when it comes to fighting ‘the villain’, at least compared to Nancy. There is even a 3rd very strong female character in Barbara, perhaps the strongest of all, but unfortunately we don’t see much of her. I’ll let you find out why if you STILL somehow haven’t watched the show and are reading this.
So with that as the setup, we follow three main story arcs, that of the mother, that of the older brother and Nancy, and that of the group of boys with Eleven, each of the pursuing the Stranger Things going on around them in their own ways. Chief Hopper, a big-city cop that has moved to the small town ostensibly in search of relief from the horrors of being a big-city officer, quickly detects something despicable going on, and joins forces with Winona’s character Joyce, attempting to uncover the truth and help her find her son.
The show has all the hallmarks of some of the greatest 80s cinema. I somehow discovered it before even knowing it existed, watched all eight episodes, and proclaimed it as “The Goonies meets Stephen King” long before I read a single sentence about the show anywhere else. The influences are THAT obvious, and not in a bad way at all. I’ve seen a few references to E.T., but to be honest I don’t get the E.T. vibe from it, necessarily. Sure, the kids spend a lot of time on their bicycles, but other than that it reads a lot more King than Spielberg. Equal doses Stand By Me and The Goonies, with a touch of It and The Langoliers, the show is just fantastic. I even get some Breakfast Club moments here, which is weird but cool in a sci-fi thriller.
In any other context, someone talking about “The Upside-down” as a real place you could travel to would be comically silly, but this show somehow imbues those words with such seriousness, that you can’t help but be afraid to whisper them to the mirror with the lights out at night. Not that saying them in front of the mirror has any bearing on the show’s plot, mind you. I’m just trying to get across how evil those words have become through the brilliance of the show’s writing.
Right down to the opening credits/title, which happen a lot later into each episode than a lot of shows, Stranger Things tops my list of what can be obtained with a minimalist approach in storytelling. In an interview with the Duffer brothers, the show’s director siblings, they talk about how they focused on striking, yet simple imagery. The ominous music, powerful lettering style, and lack of frills make the title screen alone foreboding and striking, while still somehow remaining unassuming. No need for the over-the-top, over-produced opening sequences so many movies and shows favor these days, folks. These guys know how well a little can go a long way, and they absolutely nailed it. Besides, some crazy modern opening credits would have seemed quite anachronistic when bookended by the rest of the show’s chique.
The ending???? Well I think it's safe to assume that whatever crawled out of Will's mouth at the end will play a key role, if not Will himself as the new villain.
really hope will doesn't become the villain :<
i think dr. brenner isn't dead and will return, he's the actor that revealed season 2 is in the works after all during some interview if i'm not mistaken
would be interesting if they do a time skip and now the show is now showing the 90s
i think dr. brenner isn't dead and will return, he's the actor that revealed season 2 is in the works after all during some interview if i'm not mistaken
would be interesting if they do a time skip and now the show is now showing the 90s
Napoleonthechimp
Member
I wonder if there are other creatures, perhaps intelligent ones in the shadow world. Because there does appear to be somewhat of an ecosystem over there, so it stands to reason there'd be other things beyond slugs and humanoid beast monsters.
WOW, crazy show. So El is still alive, and Will is infected somehow. My guess is that if someone lives in the upside down and is caught by the creatures it is "impregnated" with the slug type things and then grows into one of those things. Gaining the ability to jump between worlds (as we saw Will do) but also losing their humanity. Barb simply didn't survive the process, possibly too old or just happened to die.
I think this is supported from the way the beast appears and acts. It's VERY humanoid other than it's face/head and it's limbs are extreme. But it doesn't act like an animal, no animal would be hunting food when wounded like that an animal would go into hiding until it felt safe. I'm guessing the fleas are somehow able to heal quickly by consuming humans. They exist in some "inbetween" worlds, kind of like how their teacher described it. As a flea walking the tightrope.
Maybe I'm completely off-base, who knows. I'm glad they didn't go for the cheesy route having Jonathan and Nancy end up together instead for her to settle into her suburban lifestyle like Jonathan said when they were in the woods. But also it shows growth for Steve in that he wanted to actually change his ways.
This was a very good show and I look forward to the next season. If it continues the story, cool. If it is an anthology series and tells a whole new story that connects in the end somehow, cool as well. All I know is I want more!!!
I think this is supported from the way the beast appears and acts. It's VERY humanoid other than it's face/head and it's limbs are extreme. But it doesn't act like an animal, no animal would be hunting food when wounded like that an animal would go into hiding until it felt safe. I'm guessing the fleas are somehow able to heal quickly by consuming humans. They exist in some "inbetween" worlds, kind of like how their teacher described it. As a flea walking the tightrope.
Maybe I'm completely off-base, who knows. I'm glad they didn't go for the cheesy route having Jonathan and Nancy end up together instead for her to settle into her suburban lifestyle like Jonathan said when they were in the woods. But also it shows growth for Steve in that he wanted to actually change his ways.
This was a very good show and I look forward to the next season. If it continues the story, cool. If it is an anthology series and tells a whole new story that connects in the end somehow, cool as well. All I know is I want more!!!
Napoleonthechimp
Member
I took that whole thing as a form of incubation ala the xenomorphs from Alien. Perhaps the slugs eventually grow up to be humanoid monsters as a result of taking DNA from the host.
With Barbara I imagine the incubation process completed and she died, but with Will it was interrupted.
Yeah, this whole show I got an Alien, Stephen King and X-Files vibe the entire time. And spot on with the barb thing, there was definitely not just one creature out there.
Well, I described the show as "Stephen King by way of Steven Spielberg". There's a lot of John Carpenter in here, too, especially with the music.
It's just very clear that the Duffer brothers are huge fans of that decade of film and I can't believe how well they captured it. Right down to the typefont on the credits.
Yep, Stephen King directed by John Carpenter with Spielberg working on set as well.
While there are some unanswered questions, I'm not sure I would want another season with these characters again. None of them were amazing and the only strong pairing were the kids. What kept the interest was the mystery not the characters.
I don't think the show needs to resolve every single mystery and I think ending it with a few of them makes it more interesting.
I would love if the series does become an anthology series with the returning motifs being the 80's/sci-fi/horror/kids. The title very much lends to it anyways.
I don't think the show needs to resolve every single mystery and I think ending it with a few of them makes it more interesting.
I would love if the series does become an anthology series with the returning motifs being the 80's/sci-fi/horror/kids. The title very much lends to it anyways.
TheVampire
Banned
So is El dead or not??????????
Did you watch the show? What an odd thing to say.
Agreed
Hopper leaves Eggo waffles (her favorite) and other food in a box in the woods, it's implied she's still alive but her exact situation is left in the open.
Tranqueris
Banned
So who took Barbara's car? I didn't get the impression that the bad guys knew about her disappearance at all.
Wait...yeah, it doesn't make sense. I think they knew about her disappearance considering Brenner said 6 people has been taken.
Tranqueris
Banned
Ah okay. For a second I thought it was going to be revealed that Steve turned into a complete asshole and stole the car so he wouldn't get in trouble with his parents.
ffejeromdiks
Banned
The millennium falcon that they try to get El to lift with telekinesis didn't exist in the 80's either, burn it to the ground 0/10
Absolutely loved the show.
A part of me wonders if the creature isn't in someway tied together with El. It was interesting that it seemed like despite being shot, burned, hit with a nailbat etc. it was still so strong. However her confronting it finished it off. I only just finished the show so haven't had time to think it over fully, just seemed like it could potentially be some sort of manifestation of her fear.
I think with Hops (Chief) he made the deal just because he knew it was the only short term solution. They needed to save Will asap so he was the one in the most danger. The researchers clearly wanted El alive so it would give him time to think of something else.
A part of me wonders if the creature isn't in someway tied together with El. It was interesting that it seemed like despite being shot, burned, hit with a nailbat etc. it was still so strong. However her confronting it finished it off. I only just finished the show so haven't had time to think it over fully, just seemed like it could potentially be some sort of manifestation of her fear.
I think with Hops (Chief) he made the deal just because he knew it was the only short term solution. They needed to save Will asap so he was the one in the most danger. The researchers clearly wanted El alive so it would give him time to think of something else.
Kenzodielocke
Banned
Anyone else noticed the Metal Gear Solid V easter egg/tribute ?
I am not talking about the song, but about the shot with the dead bodies in the hallway. This shit was straight outta MGSV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJVxPAiB7as
I really liked this show, but I really disliked how the monster looked.
I am not talking about the song, but about the shot with the dead bodies in the hallway. This shit was straight outta MGSV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJVxPAiB7as
I really liked this show, but I really disliked how the monster looked.
Vic_Viper
Member
Not sure how they found out about her but after they did they made it look like she ran away. They moved her car after the cops were called to a bus station to make it look like she got the f outta town.
Jest Chillin
Member
The only stupid thing Steve did in the moment was fighting Jonathan. Everything else had a clear modus operandi. And he was clearly the leader of the bad crowd, he just wasn't the muscle of the group.
Steve is the trope of the asshole popular guy who originally just wants to get laid with the attractive good girl but then falls for her and wants to change. They set that up from the start when he's talking to Nancy and she states that she's not like the other girls he just slept with and dumped.
Yes he did. He rolled all at once.
I came away feeling like it was a fevered dream of the Sheriff's trying to cope with the loss of this daughter Sara?.
Well people still died so it seems real enough.
I'm not a huge fan of overspeculating because things get headcanon-y real fast and it usually turns into projecting fan fiction onto gaps that are purposefully supposed to be gaps, but I was reading some reviews for the show that dinged it for the inconsistencies and 'illogical' choices in El and Brenner's behavior, and I just have to throw this one out there: Brenner was a sociopath. And not in that pejorative 'the villain doesn't have an issue killing lots of people to achieve his goal so let's call him a sociopath" way, but in the clinical "Patrick Bateman is actually incapable of feeling any kind of emotion" way.
You put someone like that in the leadership role of an authoritarian environment, and all pretense of blending in would stop. Creating an emotional dependence within El would be a zero-sum game. Give her something nice, like a flower, when you want her to do something good. Punish her when she does something bad. Establish yourself as her father so she won't hurt you. Nothing else, like affection or appropriate socialization, would cross the mind of that kind of person who was trying to create a weapon.
We don't get much of a look at him interacting with people outside of El, but when we do, like when he's telling Mike and Nancy's mom to trust him, you can really feel it. Winona Ryder calls him out on it hard. They never outright say it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was at the top of the list on whatever character notes Modine got.
/headcanon
You put someone like that in the leadership role of an authoritarian environment, and all pretense of blending in would stop. Creating an emotional dependence within El would be a zero-sum game. Give her something nice, like a flower, when you want her to do something good. Punish her when she does something bad. Establish yourself as her father so she won't hurt you. Nothing else, like affection or appropriate socialization, would cross the mind of that kind of person who was trying to create a weapon.
We don't get much of a look at him interacting with people outside of El, but when we do, like when he's telling Mike and Nancy's mom to trust him, you can really feel it. Winona Ryder calls him out on it hard. They never outright say it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was at the top of the list on whatever character notes Modine got.
/headcanon
Your right actually, as someone who studies this stuff for fun he is textbook. The biggest indication would be his hothead security who most would call a sociopath but she was not, she wanted to kill Hop but Brenner like a true sociopath did the math and with no emotion made the deal which had the most chance of him reaching his goals, and if it didn't the problem would still have been solved because Joyce and Hop would have been dead.
There wasn't much Modine but when there was his performance as Brenner was awesome.
That sort of field attracts sociopaths. Thanks to media when people hear the word they think crazy and killer but that's a small subset that usually also has factors like childhood abuse and head trauma thrown in. When you go by the actual medical definition versus pop culture there are actually a suprising amount of sociopaths in both politics and medicine, because the things they lack are hindrances in those fields anyway.
I think the Sheriff being shot in the head like Benny might have raised a lot of red flags for just about everyone. I actually thought they were going to set him up for murder or something to ruin his image but they just made it look like he'd gone on a bender.
lifeexpectancy
Member
They left him alive hoping he would lead them to El. And he did. Makes sense to me.
FunkyPajamas
Member
We don't ever see cars or other small household items in the Upside Down, so I imagine only large enough objects or lasting man-made structures (buildings, etc) will leave a mark on it. It could just be a plot hole as well. Then again, we don't know that there wasn't a bear trap on the Upside Down. We just know it escaped it. Perhaps it broke itself free. It's not like Steve/Jonathan/Nancy followed the monster. It just went back to a place were they couldn't sense it (and then fled).
Yeah, this makes sense. They probably thought chief was a Russian spy or something because they kept asking who sent him/who did he work for. They might have left him alive just to see if he would lead them back to the Russians or something.
I love this. This is great analysis, thank you.
Also, thinking about the g-men picking Hop at the end. I imagine they wanted to debrief him; Joyce, him and Will being the only ones to actually go into the Upside Down and returning alive. Based on what little we know from the character I don't see him working for the g-men as much as collaborating with them whenever something from the Upside Down crosses over (and also looking for Eleven).
By the way, this has probably been shared by now, but all eyes are on the show.
http://www.indiewire.com/2016/07/st...g-guillermo-del-toro-netflix-show-1201706909/
Del Toro & King collaboration for S2. I may just die happy now.
I could be wrong but the first time the chief breaks into the lab building he doesn't even know about Eleven and thinks what the witness saw at Bennie's was actually Will. Unless you mean at the end? There probably wasn't a reason to kill him after the whole mess blows up. G-men probably trying to sweep things under the rug would likely just bring more attention to them if they killed the chief at that point.
Then again, weren't the state troopers brought in by the lab people? I'm assuming they could clean up any mess and have staties just make everything appear to be ok/accident/suicide/etc.
They were planning on making him look like a suicide afterwards, no reason for them to let him get away with a "Bender" earlier.
He led them to her by chance, he didn't know who she was any more than most people. It's a small town and they were already out looking for her, didn't need his help.
ThLunarian
Member
I think it might be kinda cool if Season 2 takes place 10 years later.
So have all the same characters, but now it's 1993.
This gives time for the characters to change. We would see the four kids gradually drift apart and separate into different cliques. We see how Will has secretly changed and how his powers(?) have evolved. We see Nancy unhappily married to Steve.
But maybe Eleven hasn't aged. Maybe somehow El looks exactly the same. And she unexpectedly returns to town.
That's what I'd like to see for Season 2.
So have all the same characters, but now it's 1993.
This gives time for the characters to change. We would see the four kids gradually drift apart and separate into different cliques. We see how Will has secretly changed and how his powers(?) have evolved. We see Nancy unhappily married to Steve.
But maybe Eleven hasn't aged. Maybe somehow El looks exactly the same. And she unexpectedly returns to town.
That's what I'd like to see for Season 2.
The one thing that bothers me about Nancy staying with Steve is that it was that relationship that got her best friend killed in the first place. Yeah he decided to be a big hero and save the day, but maybe she should have felt the need to distance herself from that relationship for a while?
Feels too much like It
why do so many people hate Steve lol? you can't blame him for Barbs death cmon now
Steve & Nancy 4ever
Jest Chillin
Member
Too large a time skip for me. I'd be okay with 1 or 2 years at most. Huge timeskips with the same principle cast just make me feel like there's too much backstory that needs to be shown to catch the viewer up to the state of things. And that always gets drawn out over the season.
And I really dislike the idea of El staying the same age while everyone else ages normally. The relationship the children all have because of their age is part of the charm. Changing the ages just makes it weird. Especially with the way they went with childhood romance towards the end of the season.
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