The main problem was that they started introducing far too many characters to juggle, so that my season 3, previously important ones like Will got sidelined, and lucky if they had anything to do or any lines to say.
After watching Dark I realized how much of wasted potential Stranger Things is, Stranger Things got cocky it thinks bigger means better, the writing got sloppier, the characters became nearly unrecognizable, and it’s the same over and over. I highly recommend watching Dark instead it is probably the best show on Netflix and go in knowing absolutely nothing and come out surprised with what you witnessed.
“It’s like they haven’t watched their own show”. This is exactly where my grudges with series comes from. When I notice that something can be easily answered in season 2, but retconned in a future season, it is disappointing. And characterization and world building changes whether it is by a new show runner or the original creators. The bare minimum homework assignment for each season should be reviewing your scripts and collaborating with everyone to make sure they are not repeating anything or retconning the world they built. Even in the publishing company has this problem even with stand alone books. Where are the editors? Lately, it just feels that people are publishing or putting out rough drafts instead of taking time to revise everything before they film. Rant over.
Not gonna lie I was shocked when I saw his Stranger Things video a week abor because most of what he said bothered him in the show, bothered me too 💀 I was like damnnn great minds think alike 😂
@@flawedsanityright! Like I had written down in my notes about Murray- “who is this man, I absolutely hate him and why is he always making sex jokes?” And then I watched thefriendlyspaceninja’s vid and he had the same takeaway 😭😭
I agree the tone of the seasons shift but I was okay with it? The thing with the ‘evil Russians’ is because the characters are living through the Cold War and there was a lot of hatred and distrust directed at the USSR. This was heavily reflected in American media where there would be stereotypes of evil Russians. I thought the Duffer brothers were poking fun at that stereotype. As well as the over the top action movies of the time like terminator. I was okay with the lighter/funnier feel of the 3rd season because it was their summer. Also in terms of the fashion, season 1 is meant to be early ‘80s I believe. Where the fashion of the ‘70s still had an influence so the colours are more muted. Our idea of ‘80s fashion came about later in the decade which is why their clothes got brighter and more out there. I liked the gradual change in wardrobe because I feel it was a cool way to show the passing of time in the show. Maybe because there is so long in between each season I’m fine with each one feeling a bit different. Like they’re all a different movie with a different tone. But I’ve heard others who LOVE season 1 say similar things. I definitely think they drag things out longer than they need to and I wish they would hurry up with the final season! So long has passed we need a conclusion to tie up all these loose ends.
I agree with all of this!! I didn't mind when the tone would shift with the different seasons and it made sense for season 3 like the summertime shouldn't have the same dreary feel as the other seasons where it's colder/there school going on
Watching the quality of this show degrade in every single season has been really sad for me. The first season was so focused and sharp; you could tell it was a passion project. The pacing in season 4 is painfully bad. There are so many completely unnecessary plot lines that drag on and on, and characters are constantly killing the stakes with their weirdly timed monologues.
one of the things things that annoy me the most is that eleven becomes this all-powerful, god-like figure that can beat anyone and anything. in season one her powers seemed to be more limited, i don't know.
I watched the whole show but never really liked that much, not even season 1. But I thought the bad russian guys was made on purpose because of the trope of the URSS being the bad guys in every 80s movie due the cold war.
Season 1 - 10/10 untouchable Hot take, season 3 was worst for me, and that's not to say it was awful. But the jump from 1&2 to 3 was weird and anti climatic for me. The bright colors, the cartoony characters, and the rat storyline it didn't vibe with me as much. But it did have a strong conclusion with the battle of starcourt that ranked it higher for me overall. Season 4 is definitely a mix for me. On the one hand, it definitely implemented horror to its core for this show. But on the other hand, it was the storylines. I understand the pairings and groups to conclude season 4's story, but it got messy. I found myself fairly bored of Hops Russian storyline by episode 4, I feel like it could have ended quicker. And Will, I never expected happiness for him here, but I wish he was given a little more than just unrequited love for Mike. Will had the most promise as a character after being rescued from the upside down. But since season 3, I always have to remind myself, "Oh yeah, Will was in the upside down and survived." his painting storyline was interesting, but other than that. Jonathan, that hurt. He seemed to become a background character when he was amazing in 1&2. Sadly so underused. The possibility of a new love triangle opening with Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan, I was fairly shocked with that move. Because I hope the conclusion to that isn't that one dies for the others happiness, reasoning. And unfortunately, I was sad over Vecna creating the mindflayer. I wished the mindflayer was left for its own origins and mystery to why it was here and what it was. Season 5 is promising, though, so there's no need to be too critical just yet. Will is going to be a central player, and I hope it returns to its iconic season 1 roots✨️
I actually feel like season 3 was the worst, I really liked Steve's redemption in season 2 and all the relationships. Maybe because I don't mainly watch the show for horror but for the characters that I love.
Omg I just remembered the name of the character I hated- it's Murray! Wow, was he annoying! I genuinely am shocked rewatching his scenes by how utterly pointless he is
So agree. I enjoy this show as a whole nonetheless, but you made so many great points. And I’m glad you actually mentioned the waving arms and hands around it IS very distracting! And I found it super frustrating they wouldn’t commit to killing off any of the mains as well
Surprisingly, I did not feel the show slowing down in season 2, but I finally felt it in season 3. I did like season 4 even with its issues. My main issue is the show constantly torturing Will. He can never be happy. I mean all of the kids deal with rough situations and mental health, but I feel the writers let everyone but Will have happy moments. Actually, let’s add Joyce in there. What the heck? Poor Bob. RIP Bob. And my other issue with season 4 was not seeing Will’s and Eleven’s friendship. That would be cool to see because you see Will wanting to help, but doesn’t know how to. I think a great way to improve that is Will standing up for El in the skating rink instead of Mike. It would be a next step into becoming more confident while still showing his loyalty to his friends. And it will strengthen his friendship with Mike because Mike can see Will trying to be a good friend to El and that Mike does not need to be there to protect her. A) El can protect herself, but b) without the others, at least Will is there to be there for her.
it was only supposed to be one season and its very obvious. they got greedy and ruined it. i would loveee to see more shows from them that are actually planned out to be multiple seasons. i like 3-4 is perfect. tv really need to learn to let shows end
Nah they always wanted to do more seasons they just didn’t know if it was gonna be successful as it was and get renewed for more seasons so they wanted to end season 1 in a place where If it didn’t get renewed it wouldn’t end on a cliffhanger for the people who did enjoy it
I never got into stranger things definitely seems like someone I would watch but I never felt like clicking on it, but I will watch an hour long video explaining it 👍
Honestly if they tried to follow more original ideas instead of relaying on 80's references, back then it was a story that was happening in the 80's but then they took it too literally. I don't think it truly overstayed it's welcome, they just were running out of ideas. (I mean older shows had more episodes and arcs (and the ships are more developed for that reason as well) and with the amount of characters this show has, it's hard to keep up and some characters are overshadowed and never get their moment for that reason) (Season 4 was okay but, too long the formula of 45 minutes to 1 hour was more engaging and beneficial for the story, that's why they kept explaining things and giving so much screentime to the romantic relationships)
I prefer Dark when it comes to a mystery show about a kid disappearing. Never been as much hooked to a show than this one (except season three that was good but not as good). Stranger thing, I never really understood the hype even though I watched all of it while doing laundry. My favourite season was the second, but then I hated when the Russians arrive because it's always the same with American media, they can't help themselves but to make Russians the bad ridiculous guys, it's pathetic.
my hot take and unpopular opinion is that hopper has always been grumpy, overly aggressive, and/or dismissive. even in season 1. it was just to a lesser extent in the first season. but it's who he's always been. never understood the fandom's obsession with him.
Ah I loved season 1 it was so good I had such high hopes for it but the second season especially I just didn’t love. I’m not sure fully sure why there was just something about it. The third one I thought was ok but still no where near as good as the first. I still haven’t watched the 4th season I was so excited for it then when it came out then I just never ended up watching it. I’m gunna start a rewatch tonight of the series because I’ve been waiting to watch it again and get to season 4 and I thought Halloween is the perfect time
I think In season 3. The whole “hoorah! America” thing was because it was the 80’s and America and Russia were in a Cold War. So there was very big anti-russian and anti-communist sentiment. That was the mainstream American perspective. A lot of the American media also reflected that whether it be news, ads, or film. So using the Russians I think was a bit of a call back to that time on top of having the characters share anti-russians opinions. It also make sense for them because they are from a small town. Also, since Russians were America’s top enemy in 80’s going tit for tat with them by various means it would make sense to want depict the Russians trying to do exactly what the American scientists were trying to do by tapping into the upside down and trying to weaponize it and the things that come from it in order to 1 up America.
Apologies for the long comment but Stranger Things is my favourite show and after watching this video all the way through, I felt the need to defend it against some of the harsher points you made. First of all, I think you're seeing things that aren't there when you're talking about the weight of the characters. Barb isn't even fat. The only character that dies who could be considered overweight is Bob and I don't think they talked about his weight once. Do you know why? Because it has absolutely nothing to do with his character. Even when Bob was telling Joyce how he used to get bullied, he didn't mention any specific insults that were hurled at him. I know Hopper's weight is brought up a few times but it's never a constant topic of discussion. As for the other characters that died; Billy was ripped, Jason was in good shape, Eddie was fairly average in build and Brenner was more skinny if anything. Stranger Things doesn't discriminate with who it kills off. Characters of all shapes and sizes die so I don't know why you're insinuating that the show is somehow targeting people who are overweight. Also you say you don't like Murray and he's the most useless character. Obviously you're entitled to your own opinion when it comes whether you like a character or not but calling him useless, let alone the most useless character in the show is just plain wrong. First of all in season 3 he's the only character who can translate russian. Without him Joyce and Hopper would have no idea how to destroy the machine at the end of season 3 and in the season 4 finale he pretty much saves everyone using the flamethrower. As I said, if you don't like him, that's fine but I think one of the best things about Stranger Things is that everyone contributes in their own way so I don't feel like it's fair to call any of the characters useless. I agree with you that the russian plot line in season 3 is very unbelievable and admittedly it's probably my least favourite part of that season but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the season as a whole. Also they say in the show that the reason the russians chose Hawkins to build their secret base is because a gate to the Upside Down had been opened there once before by Eleven. Something that's kind of bothered me about that plot line in particular is Robin. I like Robin as a character but I wish the actual working out of what was going on was more of a team effort rather than Robin just figuring everything out whilst Dustin and Steve just got demoted to comic relief. I mean Robin cracks the code, then she gets the idea to get the blueprints for the mall, then she has the idea to use the vents, then she has the idea to send Erica in when Dustin can't fit. It just feels like she's doing too much and the writers had to dumb down Dustin in particular to make Robin seem more necessary to the plot. I think if it had been Dustin's idea to use Erica since he already knows her on a more personal level with him being friends with Lucas, it wouldn't be as bad. Like I said I do like Robin's personality in season 3 although I think the writers ruined her in season 4 as she became very annoying, always rambling on. I think they tried to make her more of a comic relief character in that season but it didn't work in my opinion. I think you were very unfairly critical of Hopper in season 3. I agree with you that he could be a bit much at times but he was justified at least some of the time. Like when he was going to talk to Mike and El, he tried being calm and talking to them as equals but Mike was being a disrespectful little shit, mocking him and laughing at him to his face which then caused him to lose his temper. When it comes to Joyce, he wasn't acting entitled to her "romantic attention", he was angry that she stood him up and didn't even apologise to him afterwards and instead started rambling about fridge magnets. Saying Hopper was being "abusive" towards Joyce and comparing him to Lonnie is one of the craziest things I've heard said about this show EVER. He and Joyce actually have a really wholesome conversation in episode 3 when they're at the lab. He talks about how important it is to him that she and her family feels safe in Hawkins. I don't remember Hopper once being misogynistic so I don't know where that point came from and Hopper reading the "heart-to-heart" he wrote for Eleven and Mike in the finale after his "death" is one of the most wholesome and heartbreaking scenes in the whole show so I think making out he was just a all-round asshole in season 3 is very misrepresentative. Mike is one of my least favourite characters in the whole show but your point or at least your reasons for his and Eleven's relationship being creepy is just dumb. Framing it in a way that implies that Mike is somehow taking advantage of her because she hadn't really interacted with anyone outside the lab except him and that somehow means she has the emotional maturity of a 4 year old doesn't make sense. She and Mike don't officially get together until the end of season 2 by which point she'd been living with Hopper for about a year and by the time we pick back up with them at the start of season 3, Eleven is almost normal for a girl her age. I could see your point about her maybe not being ready for a relationship but if anything, out of the two of them, she's the one who is demanding. When Mike is 2 minutes late she calls him asking where he is. Even if Hopper hadn't told Mike to stop spending so much time with El and it was his choice not to spend the day with her so he lies to spare her feelings, is it right that she dumps him after they've spent every single day together for the past six months? Also Mike doesn't have a problem with Eleven being friends with Max, he's annoyed that Max is encouraging Eleven to use her powers to spy on him and is worried she might be pushing El beyond her limits and I know this happens later but she does end up over-exerting herself causing her to lose her powers so Mike at least had a point. Also I think there's a lot to be said about Eleven attacking Angela in season 4. I think Mike's reaction was justified. Eleven needs to know that it's not okay to go around attacking and trying to kill everyone who upsets her, a lesson which I don't necessarily thinks she's fully learned by the end of season 4. I mean Eleven tried to use her powers on her in episode 1 which could've killed her. Angela was being a bitch to be sure but she's still just a teenager. Eleven even admits herself that she's unsure whether she wanted to kill Angela or not. She's clearly dangerous so I wouldn't blame Mike for being afraid of her in that moment. I think Max should've died at the end of season 4 or at least they shouldn't have killed Max and then brought her back. If they didn't want to kill Max then just keep her alive, don't bait the audience into an emotional reaction just to undo it minutes later. The fact that Eleven was able to just bring Max back to life all of a sudden is extremely dumb. Does that mean that any time anyone dies now she can just use her powers to restart their heart? That really just removes all stakes from the show. It wouldn't be so bad except they did the exact same thing that the end of the last season with Hopper's fake-out death, although I think they handled that one better. At least there was time to process that he was "dead" before revealing that he was still alive. It's still dumb though how he dodged that explosion and the russians grabbed him after Joyce and Murray left but before Owens arrived with the military but whatever. Don't get me wrong, I agreed with some of your points too. I agree with pretty much everything you said about Steve's character development and his friendship with Dustin. I agree that Jonathan was being creepy taking pictures of Nancy in season 1 which I think a lot of people tend to overlook when talking about his character and his and Nancy's relationship as a whole. I agree that Nancy was wrong to downplay getting Jonathan fired in season 3 just because she's more financially secure than him. I agree that over the course of the show Joyce gets more and more neglectful of her children although you could just chalk that up to the fact that they're growing up. I agree that 2x07 "The Lost Sister" is by far the worst episode of the show although I think that seems to be the general consensus among Stranger Things fans. I think that Billy getting possessed by the Mind Flayer was the best direction they could have taken his character and was my favourite part of season 3 as a whole. As I said I agree with you that the russian plot line in season 3 was very outlandish and unnecessary. I actually really liked the return of the Nancy, Jonathan, Steve love triangle in season 4 although I can understand why a lot of people felt the show was treading old ground. I agree that cast and the acting is phenomenal, in particular Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) and Dacre Montgomery (Billy) and I agree that the show needs to kill off more characters. I just wanted to make it clear that I'm not being unfair. It's not like I'm saying that everything you said was wrong, I'm just sharing my opinions.
Imma be honest , I lowkey always pat myself on the back when it comes the stranger things cause remember quite literally the DAY the first episode of the show dropped and how I clicked on it not expecting a the masterpiece to come with it (as someone who critic everything myself , the fact that I sit there and unintentionally binged watch this show still surprises me) and even though after that I didn’t watch again until nearly four years later , it still found myself draw to the show again . I mean in my humble opinion I think season three of ST is one fi the best seasons of any tv show I have EVER watched (tip: watch it July 3-4 for some real top tier performance). And all that being said , I still don’t find myself getting excited for season 5. To me , it was almost as if they had a potential and fulfilling plot for most of these characters but when they saw how big the show was getting , they scrapped it and kind of wrote as it happened if that makes senses. I mean , the whole Lucas and Max relationship plot is one of it, why put them together if you’re gonna immediately make it seem like they had problems in the relationship and totally break them up by the next season? I get it , they’re growing kids but at the same time , I don’t think they wanted to work with the characters personalities or give them any kind of supporting backstories to show how opposites can attract and all that blah blah (like how max is stern cause of how she grew up or how Lucas is kind of to him self cause of the restless bullying he went through? I feel like the could’ve worked more on those aspects)
This is controversial but i don't have a problem with them not killing main characters. Yes, it's suppose to have horror elements (which usually involves killing), but in a way it's also a kids show. It doesn't have to go so dark that its killing off so many mains that its GOT.
While I know the show has its problem, all of our favorite shows have problems. Stranger Things just happens to be one of my favorite shows. I'm glad that the Duffer Brothers are going to be able to tell thier complete story.
i don’t know what happened but they really ruined mike’s character. he went from the main character in the first season to just a side character in the rest of the seasons. i felt like either finn’s heart wasn’t in the show anymore, he forgot how to play mike, or maybe it was the writing. idk something was missing in season 3 and 4, possibly 2
Season 4 is definitely the worst one, sorry, I don’t really see them fixing anything from the previous seasons if only one plotlone out of 4 is actually good 😭☝️
I still enjoy the show but the only thing that annoys me is the whole Russian storyline it’s really not needed whatsoever 😂 even the other side villains like Brenner and the military guys from season 4 are fine cause they’re relevant to the story and are tied in with the main villain , the Russians are just kinda there lol
i really like season 3, but i don’t think it feels like the same show as strangers things. if it was its own tv show that would have been better since it was more comedy and satire vs horror
season one was kind of dumb because how does will go into the upside from the shed? shouldnt the monster have killed will like he did barb? . how does he communicate thru the lights if hes hiding in castle byers? how does the lab know what clothes will was wearing when they faked his death? how come joyce grabs an ax to protect herself from the monster when theres a shotgun in the shed? how come the monster is attracted to blood but not when eleven bleeds through her nose? why did it take days for them to find benny when he owns a restaurant?
I disagree I think this is the one show that should have minimal criticism- it’s an epic and it’s entertaining and I sure as hell don’t think it has an identity crisis
Steve also called Nancy a slut What Jonathan did was wrong,but it's not like he went actually there to stalk Nancy. He was there to look for his brother who went missing.
I love your videos, Serena! But I'm begging you, please invest in a better microphone. The background noise always makes it hard for me to sit through your videos :(
Is your video about your favorite Halloween movies and tv shows are only available on Patreon?
Yes that one is patreon only, I originally was going to post it to UA-cam but it ended up going to Patreon
You’re not exaggerating, once the deep synth beats of the end credits started playing there was no choice but to keep binging
The main problem was that they started introducing far too many characters to juggle, so that my season 3, previously important ones like Will got sidelined, and lucky if they had anything to do or any lines to say.
After watching Dark I realized how much of wasted potential Stranger Things is, Stranger Things got cocky it thinks bigger means better, the writing got sloppier, the characters became nearly unrecognizable, and it’s the same over and over. I highly recommend watching Dark instead it is probably the best show on Netflix and go in knowing absolutely nothing and come out surprised with what you witnessed.
I still haven’t finished it. I need to.
The Duffer Brothers absolutely love nothing more than annihilating a well written character and wasting their potential
😭😭 I genuinely don’t think they had bad intent with it but they just ran out of ideas
some shows are VERY lucky to exist in a medium where the actors' charisma can pick up the slack of their own weak writing
They got so lucky with this one for real
“It’s like they haven’t watched their own show”.
This is exactly where my grudges with series comes from. When I notice that something can be easily answered in season 2, but retconned in a future season, it is disappointing.
And characterization and world building changes whether it is by a new show runner or the original creators.
The bare minimum homework assignment for each season should be reviewing your scripts and collaborating with everyone to make sure they are not repeating anything or retconning the world they built.
Even in the publishing company has this problem even with stand alone books. Where are the editors?
Lately, it just feels that people are publishing or putting out rough drafts instead of taking time to revise everything before they film.
Rant over.
Damn, between this, your TVD and CAOS videos, you and Friendly Space Ninja are twins w your videos/takes lol
Not gonna lie I was shocked when I saw his Stranger Things video a week abor because most of what he said bothered him in the show, bothered me too 💀 I was like damnnn great minds think alike 😂
Haha i love that! Love that you guys both hate Murray, he's insufferable and I hate that they added him @SerenaSkybourne
@@SerenaSkybourne too right!
@@flawedsanityright! Like I had written down in my notes about Murray- “who is this man, I absolutely hate him and why is he always making sex jokes?” And then I watched thefriendlyspaceninja’s vid and he had the same takeaway 😭😭
Stranger Things overstayed his welcome after season two.
I glad that show is ending with upcoming fifth season.
Me too
I agree the tone of the seasons shift but I was okay with it? The thing with the ‘evil Russians’ is because the characters are living through the Cold War and there was a lot of hatred and distrust directed at the USSR. This was heavily reflected in American media where there would be stereotypes of evil Russians. I thought the Duffer brothers were poking fun at that stereotype. As well as the over the top action movies of the time like terminator. I was okay with the lighter/funnier feel of the 3rd season because it was their summer.
Also in terms of the fashion, season 1 is meant to be early ‘80s I believe. Where the fashion of the ‘70s still had an influence so the colours are more muted. Our idea of ‘80s fashion came about later in the decade which is why their clothes got brighter and more out there. I liked the gradual change in wardrobe because I feel it was a cool way to show the passing of time in the show.
Maybe because there is so long in between each season I’m fine with each one feeling a bit different. Like they’re all a different movie with a different tone. But I’ve heard others who LOVE season 1 say similar things. I definitely think they drag things out longer than they need to and I wish they would hurry up with the final season! So long has passed we need a conclusion to tie up all these loose ends.
I agree with all of this!! I didn't mind when the tone would shift with the different seasons and it made sense for season 3 like the summertime shouldn't have the same dreary feel as the other seasons where it's colder/there school going on
Watching the quality of this show degrade in every single season has been really sad for me. The first season was so focused and sharp; you could tell it was a passion project. The pacing in season 4 is painfully bad. There are so many completely unnecessary plot lines that drag on and on, and characters are constantly killing the stakes with their weirdly timed monologues.
Totally, it went from passion project to cash grab and it’s sad to see
you’re so underrated!!!
🙈🙈
one of the things things that annoy me the most is that eleven becomes this all-powerful, god-like figure that can beat anyone and anything. in season one her powers seemed to be more limited, i don't know.
I watched the whole show but never really liked that much, not even season 1. But I thought the bad russian guys was made on purpose because of the trope of the URSS being the bad guys in every 80s movie due the cold war.
That’s true but I personally found it a bit on the nose
Season 1 - 10/10 untouchable
Hot take, season 3 was worst for me, and that's not to say it was awful. But the jump from 1&2 to 3 was weird and anti climatic for me. The bright colors, the cartoony characters, and the rat storyline it didn't vibe with me as much. But it did have a strong conclusion with the battle of starcourt that ranked it higher for me overall.
Season 4 is definitely a mix for me. On the one hand, it definitely implemented horror to its core for this show. But on the other hand, it was the storylines. I understand the pairings and groups to conclude season 4's story, but it got messy. I found myself fairly bored of Hops Russian storyline by episode 4, I feel like it could have ended quicker. And Will, I never expected happiness for him here, but I wish he was given a little more than just unrequited love for Mike. Will had the most promise as a character after being rescued from the upside down. But since season 3, I always have to remind myself, "Oh yeah, Will was in the upside down and survived." his painting storyline was interesting, but other than that. Jonathan, that hurt. He seemed to become a background character when he was amazing in 1&2. Sadly so underused. The possibility of a new love triangle opening with Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan, I was fairly shocked with that move. Because I hope the conclusion to that isn't that one dies for the others happiness, reasoning. And unfortunately, I was sad over Vecna creating the mindflayer. I wished the mindflayer was left for its own origins and mystery to why it was here and what it was.
Season 5 is promising, though, so there's no need to be too critical just yet. Will is going to be a central player, and I hope it returns to its iconic season 1 roots✨️
I actually feel like season 3 was the worst, I really liked Steve's redemption in season 2 and all the relationships. Maybe because I don't mainly watch the show for horror but for the characters that I love.
That's actually where I dropped the show. The tonal and pacing changes are so jarring that I really couldn't care anymore.
Season 3 was…interesting to say the least lol
finally someone agrees that s4 is one of the best seasons of the show
Omg I just remembered the name of the character I hated- it's Murray! Wow, was he annoying! I genuinely am shocked rewatching his scenes by how utterly pointless he is
So agree. I enjoy this show as a whole nonetheless, but you made so many great points. And I’m glad you actually mentioned the waving arms and hands around it IS very distracting! And I found it super frustrating they wouldn’t commit to killing off any of the mains as well
I still really appreciate all the seasons and think they’re great, but I just wish they stuck to a consistent tone
Surprisingly, I did not feel the show slowing down in season 2, but I finally felt it in season 3.
I did like season 4 even with its issues.
My main issue is the show constantly torturing Will. He can never be happy. I mean all of the kids deal with rough situations and mental health, but I feel the writers let everyone but Will have happy moments. Actually, let’s add Joyce in there. What the heck? Poor Bob. RIP Bob.
And my other issue with season 4 was not seeing Will’s and Eleven’s friendship. That would be cool to see because you see Will wanting to help, but doesn’t know how to. I think a great way to improve that is Will standing up for El in the skating rink instead of Mike. It would be a next step into becoming more confident while still showing his loyalty to his friends. And it will strengthen his friendship with Mike because Mike can see Will trying to be a good friend to El and that Mike does not need to be there to protect her. A) El can protect herself, but b) without the others, at least Will is there to be there for her.
it was only supposed to be one season and its very obvious. they got greedy and ruined it. i would loveee to see more shows from them that are actually planned out to be multiple seasons. i like 3-4 is perfect. tv really need to learn to let shows end
Nah they always wanted to do more seasons they just didn’t know if it was gonna be successful as it was and get renewed for more seasons so they wanted to end season 1 in a place where If it didn’t get renewed it wouldn’t end on a cliffhanger for the people who did enjoy it
You have so much great content wow
❤️❤️
I never got into stranger things definitely seems like someone I would watch but I never felt like clicking on it, but I will watch an hour long video explaining it 👍
the season 3 era was very iconic ngl.
Murray is some kinda writer self insert. Change my mind 😊
Honestly if they tried to follow more original ideas instead of relaying on 80's references, back then it was a story that was happening in the 80's but then they took it too literally. I don't think it truly overstayed it's welcome, they just were running out of ideas. (I mean older shows had more episodes and arcs (and the ships are more developed for that reason as well) and with the amount of characters this show has, it's hard to keep up and some characters are overshadowed and never get their moment for that reason)
(Season 4 was okay but, too long the formula of 45 minutes to 1 hour was more engaging and beneficial for the story, that's why they kept explaining things and giving so much screentime to the romantic relationships)
from what i'm hearing and seeing, seems like s5 finna be a good season
I’m hoping so too now that they’re correcting the tone!
I prefer Dark when it comes to a mystery show about a kid disappearing. Never been as much hooked to a show than this one (except season three that was good but not as good). Stranger thing, I never really understood the hype even though I watched all of it while doing laundry. My favourite season was the second, but then I hated when the Russians arrive because it's always the same with American media, they can't help themselves but to make Russians the bad ridiculous guys, it's pathetic.
I’ve heard so many good things about Dark being one of the best shows of all time so I really want to watch it
26:56 technically it’s not karaoke it’s acapella 😭
😭😭😭 even worse
my hot take and unpopular opinion is that hopper has always been grumpy, overly aggressive, and/or dismissive. even in season 1. it was just to a lesser extent in the first season. but it's who he's always been. never understood the fandom's obsession with him.
I love never ending story movies so it just made me so calm cuz I grew up on never ending story
Ah I loved season 1 it was so good I had such high hopes for it but the second season especially I just didn’t love. I’m not sure fully sure why there was just something about it. The third one I thought was ok but still no where near as good as the first. I still haven’t watched the 4th season I was so excited for it then when it came out then I just never ended up watching it. I’m gunna start a rewatch tonight of the series because I’ve been waiting to watch it again and get to season 4 and I thought Halloween is the perfect time
Thing with Murray is that he knew Russian and actually did a lot to move that plot point.
I think In season 3. The whole “hoorah! America” thing was because it was the 80’s and America and Russia were in a Cold War. So there was very big anti-russian and anti-communist sentiment. That was the mainstream American perspective. A lot of the American media also reflected that whether it be news, ads, or film. So using the Russians I think was a bit of a call back to that time on top of having the characters share anti-russians opinions. It also make sense for them because they are from a small town. Also, since Russians were America’s top enemy in 80’s going tit for tat with them by various means it would make sense to want depict the Russians trying to do exactly what the American scientists were trying to do by tapping into the upside down and trying to weaponize it and the things that come from it in order to 1 up America.
Apologies for the long comment but Stranger Things is my favourite show and after watching this video all the way through, I felt the need to defend it against some of the harsher points you made.
First of all, I think you're seeing things that aren't there when you're talking about the weight of the characters. Barb isn't even fat. The only character that dies who could be considered overweight is Bob and I don't think they talked about his weight once. Do you know why? Because it has absolutely nothing to do with his character. Even when Bob was telling Joyce how he used to get bullied, he didn't mention any specific insults that were hurled at him. I know Hopper's weight is brought up a few times but it's never a constant topic of discussion. As for the other characters that died; Billy was ripped, Jason was in good shape, Eddie was fairly average in build and Brenner was more skinny if anything. Stranger Things doesn't discriminate with who it kills off. Characters of all shapes and sizes die so I don't know why you're insinuating that the show is somehow targeting people who are overweight.
Also you say you don't like Murray and he's the most useless character. Obviously you're entitled to your own opinion when it comes whether you like a character or not but calling him useless, let alone the most useless character in the show is just plain wrong. First of all in season 3 he's the only character who can translate russian. Without him Joyce and Hopper would have no idea how to destroy the machine at the end of season 3 and in the season 4 finale he pretty much saves everyone using the flamethrower. As I said, if you don't like him, that's fine but I think one of the best things about Stranger Things is that everyone contributes in their own way so I don't feel like it's fair to call any of the
characters useless.
I agree with you that the russian plot line in season 3 is very unbelievable and admittedly it's probably my least favourite part of that season but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the season as a whole. Also they say in the show that the reason the russians chose Hawkins to build their secret base is because a gate to the Upside Down had been opened there once before by Eleven. Something that's kind of bothered me about that plot line in particular is Robin. I like Robin as a character but I wish the actual working out of what was going on was more of a team effort rather than Robin just figuring everything out whilst Dustin and Steve just got demoted to comic relief. I mean Robin cracks the code, then she gets the idea to get the blueprints for the mall, then she has the idea to use the vents, then she has the idea to send Erica in when Dustin can't fit. It just feels like she's doing too much and the writers had to dumb down Dustin in particular to make Robin seem more necessary to the plot. I think if it had been Dustin's idea to use Erica since he already knows her on a more personal level with him being friends with Lucas, it wouldn't be as bad. Like I said I do like Robin's personality in season 3 although I think the writers ruined her in season 4 as she became very annoying, always rambling on. I think they tried to make her more of a comic relief character in that season but it didn't work in my opinion.
I think you were very unfairly critical of Hopper in season 3. I agree with you that he could be a bit much at times but he was justified at least some of the time. Like when he was going to talk to Mike and El, he tried being calm and talking to them as equals but Mike was being a disrespectful little shit, mocking him and laughing at him to his face which then caused him to lose his temper. When it comes to Joyce, he wasn't acting entitled to her "romantic attention", he was angry that she stood him up and didn't even apologise to him afterwards and instead started rambling about fridge magnets. Saying Hopper was being "abusive" towards Joyce and comparing him to Lonnie is one of the craziest things I've heard said about this show EVER. He and Joyce actually have a really wholesome conversation in episode 3 when they're at the lab. He talks about how important it is to him that she and her family feels safe in Hawkins. I don't remember Hopper once being misogynistic so I don't know where that point came from and Hopper reading the "heart-to-heart" he wrote for Eleven and Mike in the finale after his "death" is one of the most wholesome and heartbreaking scenes in the whole show so I think making out he was just a all-round asshole in season 3 is very misrepresentative.
Mike is one of my least favourite characters in the whole show but your point or at least your reasons for his and Eleven's relationship being creepy is just dumb. Framing it in a way that implies that Mike is somehow taking advantage of her because she hadn't really interacted with anyone outside the lab except him and that somehow means she has the emotional maturity of a 4 year old doesn't make sense. She and Mike don't officially get together until the end of season 2 by which point she'd been living with Hopper for about a year and by the time we pick back up with them at the start of season 3, Eleven is almost normal for a girl her age. I could see your point about her maybe not being ready for a relationship but if anything, out of the two of them, she's the one who is demanding. When Mike is 2 minutes late she calls him asking where he is. Even if Hopper hadn't told Mike to stop spending so much time with El and it was his choice not to spend the day with her so he lies to spare her feelings, is it right that she dumps him after they've spent every single day together for the past six months? Also Mike doesn't have a problem with Eleven being friends with Max, he's annoyed that Max is encouraging Eleven to use her powers to spy on him and is worried she might be pushing El beyond her limits and I know this happens later but she does end up over-exerting herself causing her to lose her powers so Mike at least had a point. Also I think there's a lot to be said about Eleven attacking Angela in season 4. I think Mike's reaction was justified. Eleven needs to know that it's not okay to go around attacking and trying to kill everyone who upsets her, a lesson which I don't necessarily thinks she's fully learned by the end of season 4. I mean Eleven tried to use her powers on her in episode 1 which could've killed her. Angela was being a bitch to be sure but she's still just a teenager. Eleven even admits herself that she's unsure whether she wanted to kill Angela or not. She's clearly dangerous so I wouldn't blame Mike for being afraid of her in that moment.
I think Max should've died at the end of season 4 or at least they shouldn't have killed Max and then brought her back. If they didn't want to kill Max then just keep her alive, don't bait the audience into an emotional reaction just to undo it minutes later. The fact that Eleven was able to just bring Max back to life all of a sudden is extremely dumb. Does that mean that any time anyone dies now she can just use her powers to restart their heart? That really just removes all stakes from the show. It wouldn't be so bad except they did the exact same thing that the end of the last season with Hopper's fake-out death, although I think they handled that one better. At least there was time to process that he was "dead" before revealing that he was still alive. It's still dumb though how he dodged that explosion and the russians grabbed him after Joyce and Murray left but before Owens arrived with the military but whatever.
Don't get me wrong, I agreed with some of your points too. I agree with pretty much everything you said about Steve's character development and his friendship with Dustin. I agree that Jonathan was being creepy taking pictures of Nancy in season 1 which I think a lot of people tend to overlook when talking about his character and his and Nancy's relationship as a whole. I agree that Nancy was wrong to downplay getting Jonathan fired in season 3 just because she's more financially secure than him. I agree that over the course of the show Joyce gets more and more neglectful of her children although you could just chalk that up to the fact that they're growing up. I agree that 2x07 "The Lost Sister" is by far the worst episode of the show although I think that seems to be the general consensus among Stranger Things fans. I think that Billy getting possessed by the Mind Flayer was the best direction they could have taken his character and was my favourite part of season 3 as a whole. As I said I agree with you that the russian plot line in season 3 was very outlandish and unnecessary. I actually really liked the return of the Nancy, Jonathan, Steve love triangle in season 4 although I can understand why a lot of people felt the show was treading old ground. I agree that cast and the acting is phenomenal, in particular Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) and Dacre Montgomery (Billy) and I agree that the show needs to kill off more characters.
I just wanted to make it clear that I'm not being unfair. It's not like I'm saying that everything you said was wrong, I'm just sharing my opinions.
I would luv 2 see ur season 5 predictions 4 each character
Did you watch this show?
Yes, and imo the worst thing to happen to it was it blowing up immediately after season 1
Well said. Slay queen.
A fellow Murray hater here lol
Imma be honest , I lowkey always pat myself on the back when it comes the stranger things cause remember quite literally the DAY the first episode of the show dropped and how I clicked on it not expecting a the masterpiece to come with it (as someone who critic everything myself , the fact that I sit there and unintentionally binged watch this show still surprises me) and even though after that I didn’t watch again until nearly four years later , it still found myself draw to the show again . I mean in my humble opinion I think season three of ST is one fi the best seasons of any tv show I have EVER watched (tip: watch it July 3-4 for some real top tier performance). And all that being said , I still don’t find myself getting excited for season 5. To me , it was almost as if they had a potential and fulfilling plot for most of these characters but when they saw how big the show was getting , they scrapped it and kind of wrote as it happened if that makes senses. I mean , the whole Lucas and Max relationship plot is one of it, why put them together if you’re gonna immediately make it seem like they had problems in the relationship and totally break them up by the next season? I get it , they’re growing kids but at the same time , I don’t think they wanted to work with the characters personalities or give them any kind of supporting backstories to show how opposites can attract and all that blah blah (like how max is stern cause of how she grew up or how Lucas is kind of to him self cause of the restless bullying he went through? I feel like the could’ve worked more on those aspects)
Oooh I know this is gonna be good! 🍿🍿
This is controversial but i don't have a problem with them not killing main characters. Yes, it's suppose to have horror elements (which usually involves killing), but in a way it's also a kids show. It doesn't have to go so dark that its killing off so many mains that its GOT.
Yeah, and it'# kinda the whole "we're heroes in 80's flick ofc we're gonna make it"
I couldn't agree more, after season two I stopped watching the show
@@lilith4961 I think it’s best to just enjoy it at season one and stop it there
While I know the show has its problem, all of our favorite shows have problems. Stranger Things just happens to be one of my favorite shows. I'm glad that the Duffer Brothers are going to be able to tell thier complete story.
Off topic…but have you watched DARK? Would love to have a video about your opinion of it.
I’ve heard that it’s one of the best shows to ever exist so it’s been on my watch list for a long time
@ it really is! I can’t recommend it enough…I’ve never watched anything better, nor do I expect to ever again
@@shoh1541hmm ok you’re selling it babe not gonna lie
@@SerenaSkybourne It truly is! You should go in knowing absolutely nothing. Changed my life tbh lol
i don’t know what happened but they really ruined mike’s character. he went from the main character in the first season to just a side character in the rest of the seasons. i felt like either finn’s heart wasn’t in the show anymore, he forgot how to play mike, or maybe it was the writing. idk something was missing in season 3 and 4, possibly 2
I never felt this, I liked all season equally, especially last season. I do see your points though lol
Season 4 is definitely the worst one, sorry, I don’t really see them fixing anything from the previous seasons if only one plotlone out of 4 is actually good 😭☝️
I still enjoy the show but the only thing that annoys me is the whole Russian storyline it’s really not needed whatsoever 😂 even the other side villains like Brenner and the military guys from season 4 are fine cause they’re relevant to the story and are tied in with the main villain , the Russians are just kinda there lol
side note. i love winx
Same eughh Bloom was everything to me growing up 🥰🧚🏽 that show was FIRE
"Flanderized" I can only assume you're referring to Ned Flanders from The Simpsons.
i really like season 3, but i don’t think it feels like the same show as strangers things. if it was its own tv show that would have been better since it was more comedy and satire vs horror
season one was kind of dumb because how does will go into the upside from the shed? shouldnt the monster have killed will like he did barb? . how does he communicate thru the lights if hes hiding in castle byers? how does the lab know what clothes will was wearing when they faked his death? how come joyce grabs an ax to protect herself from the monster when theres a shotgun in the shed? how come the monster is attracted to blood but not when eleven bleeds through her nose? why did it take days for them to find benny when he owns a restaurant?
You are such a gem. ❤
I think Murray was in season 1. I might be wrong but wasn't he talking to the police about conspiracy theories? It might of been s2 i guess🤷♀️
"Mike's entire thing is being in love with Eleven." Oh you will be very suprised in S5 LMAO
I disagree I think this is the one show that should have minimal criticism- it’s an epic and it’s entertaining and I sure as hell don’t think it has an identity crisis
So, this is the moment went things turned upside down?
Steve also called Nancy a slut
What Jonathan did was wrong,but it's not like he went actually there to stalk Nancy. He was there to look for his brother who went missing.
Rodin could have sensory pressor disorder or autism and will could have autism
I love season 2, but I don't like marray. I did rewatch season 2. I literally don't season 3, but I really did like season 4.
Sometimes you just have to shut up and enjoy the show
❤❤❤❤❤❤
i stopped after season 2 i believe. it just wasn’t interesting anymore
I love your videos, Serena! But I'm begging you, please invest in a better microphone. The background noise always makes it hard for me to sit through your videos :(
Are you listening with headphones or speakers? Just curious
What Background noise?
Not sure I agree with you. S4 was amazing IMO and both the highest rated episodes of the show on IMDb and RT are from season 4.