Stranger Things Season 4 (Netflix Show, so spoilers for everything released!)

[Skoop]

I didn't know that there was a dedicated thread; been posting about it in the generic Netflix thread. What I wrote there earlier today:

Episode 8 of Stranger Things. It's about half again longer than it should be, authors have the annoying propensity to drag shit out. But we're building to the big finale against the baddie, so on we go.

Spoiler

Papa, the scumbag we've always known him to be, finally gets offed, still thinking that he's doing god's work. Eleven, at last, sees him for the creep he his and denies him the satisfaction of the understanding that he so desires.

Dr. Owens is still a bumbling fool, continuing to do all the wrong things re: the crazed military out for blood.

The Hawkins kids decide to fight it out with Vecna, go to surplus store for tools and guns, and, of course, run into all the jesus jocks there, too, also buying guns, we presume to kill the metal head nerd. Totally unbelievable; jeez louise, authors. Is that all you got?

Eleven is finally sprung and reunited. How, oh, how, are they gonna get to Hawkins in time, in a VW pizza delivery bus?

Hopper and crew skip the prison with slimeball Yuri as their only hope.

It's pretty dumb, a lot of it, but when there's action it generally delivers.

Edit: And Mike, Will has given you all the clues you're going to get. Open your eyes and grow the fuck up. You've been an idiot bystander for two and half seasons.

 

[Skoop]

Well, that was way too long and drawn out, and

Spoiler

they killed off the wrong guy, and I don't mean the psycho bible banger. Really, any of the California characters are totally superfluous and are easily fodder.

Strong performances by Max and Dustin, some craft there. Even Erica has some chops and doesn't be an idiot.

Spoiler

Good for Robin, she maybe has found a girlfriend.

Somebody give Nancy a sandwich. She's unhealthily skinny and mostly useless.

Wheeler's comment that the news has become tabloid is code for how this show is going,

Spoiler

if the writers don't get over the immortality of the players.

 

[Skoop]

I'm guessing that Will gets offed next season. He's a seriously weak character in the scheme of things. He's completely dependent, he oscillates between his internal struggle over whether he loves Mike and why they all can't just play D&D like they used to. It's as though he got damaged by his possession early in the show, and has never fully recovered. Witness the pain in the neck he gets.

That is, if the authors are willing to kill any of the principals. So far it's been only walk-ons. But, really, there's so many candidates. Jonathan? Maybe, but he's kind of come around and is acting mature again. The group needs a leader. And it's not Nancy. I can see her getting munched. Or maybe Mike, as a prompt to make Eleven go to 11 on the bad guy.

The action having to be split between Hawkins and California is also problematic. Somehow they've got to relocate Joyce and crew back to Hawkins. They're already fixing the cabin back up, so Eleven will be there. Does she still need to be undercover? The sympathetic .gov woman knows she's there. The evil Army colonel seems to be plugged in to everything, so he'll know, too. Does the S5 climax feature Eleven fighting both the army and Vecna? This show is wack enough to go there.

 

[Skoop]

Well, yes, I saw that. But they drove there for the showdown. Joyce and her kids were moved to CA after the first go-round, to hide Eleven with them. Next season should show them as having moved back. We already know that Eleven is moving back in with Hopper.

 

[Skoop]

Oh, I think that there will be a time break involved. It's going to be a year and a half or two years before the next season. It would just look too weird to pick up the action immediately following the previous episode. The kids are all still growing and will look different for one thing. I suspect that there will be some narrative excuse (Eddie is dead, so the devil cult is no longer an issue) for things having settled down, the town rebuilt (to some extent) from the "earthquake", and everyone now living back in Hawkins. Otherwise, they have an entire season of a continuation of the showdown with the bad guy. Given how the writers like to drag things out, I predict a long, slow burn in the build up to the denouement.

Nancy and maybe Jonathan will be at college, Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas as upperclassmen, maybe with Eleven, too. I don't know how they're going to handle whether Eleven still needs to hide out. Max will be recovered from injuries. Hopper back as Chief?

 

[Skoop]

^^^He'll be the next one to get munched, while the heroes and heroines narrowly escape, yet again.

Edit: Oops, next page. He being Argyle.

 

[Skoop]

Max being brain dead does seem the most likely. But that seems like it would be a waste of the actor to just lay there in a hospital bed not doing anything next season.

Indeed, given that here and elsewhere she is one of, if not the best dramatic player in the show.

Also Nancy, for the love of god, HEADSHOT!!!

The Nancy character is minimally useful at this point.

Hopper seems to have some contacts with the .mil at least hopefully they will be able to call in some help

If they've learned anything at this point in the show, it's the .mil is focused on eliminating Eleven and cannot in any way be trusted.

 

[Skoop]

There were MPs on security detail in the lab facility and NINA, but they're all gone now. Who can they call without having the evil Colonel hooked in? (Rhetorical)

 

[Skoop]

We suffered some of the kids, too.

 

[Skoop]

There were MPs on security detail in the lab facility and NINA, but they're all gone now. Who can they call without having the evil Colonel hooked in? (Rhetorical)

They were in contact with that woman who Owens had also been in contact with, it is most likely her who got Hopper and Joyce back from Russia. They were clearly setting up multiple factions of the .mil in this season and still have some contact with the "good" faction.

I don't think that she's .mil.

 

[Skoop]

Unfortunately, he had to die. If he had survived, they would have had to deal with the murders of the three kids that he was still under suspicion for.

Agreed, but that was still a pretty dumb plot point. Basketball letter jacket bible nut takes over the narrative, completely nullifies the moronic police force, town turns vigilante, and the lot of them are out with guns to kill a metalhead D&D player.

No legal rights police process here, folks, not happening. When Hopper's away the idiots will play.

Yeah, it fantasy horror show, but that was just too unbelievable. Even when he's out to commit murder, dude is still wearing his letter jacket.

Like something out of one of the movies that blahpony watches.

 

[Skoop]

Unfortunately, he had to die. If he had survived, they would have had to deal with the murders of the three kids that he was still under suspicion for.

Agreed, but that was still a pretty dumb plot point. Basketball letter jacket bible nut takes over the narrative, completely nullifies the moronic police force, town turns vigilante, and the lot of them are out with guns to kill a metalhead D&D player.

No legal rights police process here, folks, not happening. When Hopper's away the idiots will play.

Yeah, it fantasy horror show, but that was just too unbelievable. Even when he's out to commit murder, dude is still wearing his letter jacket.

Like something out of one of the movies that blahpony watches.

I suspect a redemption arc for the Basketball letter jacket bible nut in s5. Maybe even he reconnects with his true self and him and Will become something. That or Will will do a "bury your gay" trope.

Redemption is going to be a bit tough. He got burned in half when the rifts opened up. So he really would need to reconnect with his true self!

Maybe a spinoff in which we see his god repeatedly yelling at him in the afterlife for being a total asshole.

 

[Skoop]

Ms. Ouellette's review on the FP.

 

[Skoop]

adding to the pile of people who seemingly can't die.

Yeah, that's a credibility problem. At least the letter jacket went to the cloud.

 

[Skoop]

Eleven brought Max's body back but her mind had already moved on. Not everyone can be saved.

Max is one of the standouts in a too-large cast. They'd be dumb to not get her back into action.

 

[Skoop]

I want to see more of Robin and Erica.

I am also leaning toward offing Mike or reducing his presence. In S4, he showed so much annoying indecision and incapability of expressing himself toward Eleven, it was painful. Like he never got out of 6th grade.

I actually think that Jonathan was leveling up toward the end, and could be a leader. His heart-to-heart with Will was well done and should give Will an opening to come out and grow up a little himself.

 

[Skoop]

I think Argyle is gone. Next season should be centered in Hawkins and Argyle is just too California. Can't see him moving there just to pal with Jonathan.