Alright I just watched season two so I can finally watch your video! I didn't think it was perfect but I did enjoy it overall, so I'm interested in what you have to say about it. I'm gonna keep a running commentary below. It would be more repetative if Mike really did do the same thing as Lucas and have that reconcilliation scene with Max. Plus, I don't really think it's the same situation. With Lucas, he was being an ass for reasons related to El herself, while Mike is being an ass to Max even before they've talked to her because he's being an as because of something in himself. In order for him to have reconciled that with Max, he would have had to explain himself/his insecurities, and I just don't see how it could have been believable or reasonable for him to have shared such personal stuff with her then. Mike didn't really grow this season, but I don't think he needed to. I agree that it would have been nice to have the subplots meet up more cohesively. I would have liked the Jonathan/Nancy subplot to have developed their relationship further, not necessarily in a romantic sense but in the sense of how do their different priorities and worldviews meet/how do they affect each other? At least give us more with how concerned Jonathan is of Will and then Nancy thinking about her relationship with Mike. Maybe that would have helped connect the different groups more. Honestly, I feel like the reporter subplot was entirely pointless and actually forgot about it trying to remember what they were doing during that part of the show. I feel like the scenes in the first season did more things at once, always moving along the characters and the plot and the tension, but the second season wasn't as condensed, which made it feel like we needed more time on the characters when it really was long enough. I agree completely about Max. So much potential, so little done with it. I really liked Billy though, I thought he worked well to establish some setting/perspective for the high school part of the cast and also his character is just great in the later episodes. Joyce/Bob is best ship I was so upset when he died. He should have lived and proved all the formula wrong. And it was so cliche and stupid too, I knew it was coming and I hated it. I didn't get the sense that the Barb thing was tacked on. To me, it was pretty clear that hadn't been complaining because of the nondisclosure agreements but had still felt horrible about it and kept in touch with Barb's parents. She knew there was nothing she could do about it so she was trying to ignore how terrible she felt, but repression doesn't work and not only was she sick of it and sick of how she felt like her relationship with Steve was tied with ignoring Barb, but she saw how Barb's parents were ruining their lives with hope and she knew she couldn't handle justifications any longer because she felt wrong. And Steve's reactions are entirely justified to. There breakup made sense to me. They just kind of fell out of allignment/expectations for their relationship. Yeah, I had the same problem with Murray. I don't think Steve knows she /should/ be with Jonathan, I think he just resigns himself to the fact that she's /not/ going to be with him. He knew when she didn't say she loved him, he wanted to see if he could get her back even though he acknowleges the original problem hasn't been resolved because what's he supposed to apoligize for when he did nothing, and then he finally accepts that it's her that moved away and he just has to be okay with that, he can't and wouldn't want to force a relationship to work. Yeah, I agree about reusing the roles and the stakes. I liked the seventh episode not because of power growth but because of the turning point in El's whole plot this season, which was "what is home?" She's understandibly frustrated and unsatisfied with her home with Hopper until it's too much for her to stay saying this is all I'll get, so she leaves to see if she can find home with her mother, but that isn't to be but she finds her sister in like the opposite of Hopper. Her sister is saying home is with her and choosing your family with outcasts and they have her doing things, and a key contrast is Hopper was trying to protect her and open to understanding her and compromise but Kali has a viewpoint and keeps pushing it on El with a creepy certainty. Then the vision with Mike happens and she realizes that home /is/ who you choose but she's choosing to be a protecter for who she loves rather than a killer with her sister who she loves. I found it to be an important revelation and El really making a decision/choice. I will say, one thing I was happy with was the concept of tunnel-roots underground. I thought that was a great way for the Upside Down to not get that sense of stale/know, though I don't think they really emphasized the horror/it's everywhere feel they could have with that concept. Like, mold and roots and fungi are creepy, and Tremmors proved that giant creatures making tunnels through the ground is creepy, you had to immediately introduce a map and say it hasn't reached town and thus make it not creepy? Wasted opportunity. I'd love to talk with you about any of these points if you read them and have something to say!
Wow, thats a lot haha First, thanks for coming back to watch the video, that is much appreciated! I do see what your saying with the Mike stuff. My whole thing is that it would have been more cathartic/satisfying to have him connect with Max in the end, especially considering she took the time to understand him and was extending her hand by saying she understood why he was acting the way he was. I wasn't expecting a full apology or for him to be her best friend, just some introspection on his part that she isn't replacing El and he needed to grow up a bit. How he was played this season just made him unlikable to me. Ya, one of my issues about season 2 that I couldn't properly convey is that it felt much more scattered than season 1 was, with a lot of subplots not really having any thematic or narrative purpose to the main plot. Billy was a cool character, as he felt like an old school bully character. Again, I just wish Max and him had a bit more relevance to the story as a whole. With Bob, I was hoping the same thing. If they subverted the cliche and had him save the day unscathed, despite not being the big burly man that Hopper is, would have been much more interesting as a whole. Supposedly, the actors had to fight for Sean Austin/Bob to even get the scenes where he unlocks the door, as he was originally just going to be killed off unceremoniously. I did get the whole theme of "family/what is home" El's character arc in episode 7, but it just felt really sloppy in terms of how it fit into the structure of the season, and came off a bit like it needed to set up future plot threads for later. I didn't hate it, it just felt out of place. Plus Kali and her group weren't that interesting to me. Its funny, I liked the idea of the tunnel roots, with the upside infesting the town in a very "Lovecraty" way, but the map thing felt like an attempt to redo the alphabet wall. I didn't hate it or anything, but it came off like the writers were trying to recapture the magic from season 1 when they heard everyone loved the alphabet wall. This is very much a personal gripe though, which is why I took it out of the script for this video. Again, thanks for such a thought out comment! I didn't make this video to tell people they are wrong for enjoying season 2, as I'm not an expert on narrative or film making, just pointing out what I feel are flaws in the story, so I'm glad to see people are wanting to have a dialogue about what they thought, and what they enjoyed about the season where I may not have.
Very thought-provoking video and I agree with you on everything you say. Here are my thoughts on the season as a whole: --There is too much character-focused content and way too much emphasis on pairings, without it really driving the plot forward. Characters should develop through the plot, and their actions should move it forward. --I think that just the first episode would have been enough to show how the past year had affected them. They spent way too much time on this, slowing down the pacing. Also, wouldn't this have brought them closer? I didn't really like how they became divided when they should have felt more connected. --Hopper and El's relationship wasn't nuanced enough for me. He acted like an authoritarian and jerk toward El at times, and was mean for no reason. She seemed like she was a prisoner for most of the season, separated from everybody. It took too long to get her involved in the plot, which nullified her reunion and choice to come back. To me, it was kind of unbelievable that she suddenly knew what was going on with Will so late in the season. Seems like she would have known this for the past year, visiting Mike in the void? --Because the lab was basically stripped of its power, I didn't think of them as a threat except for the dialogue to tell us that. Hence, why I think Hopper came off as a prison guard keeping El away from everyone. You really never saw anyone (beside episode 2) looking for her. If you saw this throughout, then I would more understand where Hopper was coming from. --Mike is not the only one poorly written this season like you say. In fact, I think Nancy using her grief and understanding of losing Barb (rather than the whole justice for Barb thing!), asking for Jonathan for advice (with his close relationship with WIll and helping him) in order to help Mike with his grief, would have been a better use of her as a character. -El's jealousy and cold shoulder toward Max made her a bit unlikable too. It seemed out of character for her after seeing jealousy get between Lucas and Mike last season. Thank you again for the video!
@@sarahdugas135 Hopper's over-protectiveness actually stems from the loss of his daughter, and he fears losing someone whose become like another daughter to him (Eleven). I feel like he does a good job of coming to terms with this later in the season. It helps give an extra layer of depth to why Hopper makes the decisions that he does.
The "Lost Sister" episode was basically a DLC plotline. It adds something to the lore, but it's also something closed off enough to where it doesn't affect the progression of the main plot.
Evolution of will: Season 1: Needs to be saved Season 2: Plot device that needs to be saved Season 3:Plot device I wish there was some justice for my boy
They would be better off killing him in season 4, it would make room for moments of character growth, and it's not like he has any other purpose to the story.
Idk, I'm only just finished episode 4 of season 3, but I'm enjoying Will's feelings of being sidelined and his yearnings for a more innocent, simpler past. Yeah, he hasn't really impacted a great deal plot-wise aside from being aware of the Mindflayer but I'm still engaged.
Definitely they have missed opportunities with not really addressing Will’s trauma and having his friends understand that he wants them to continue to play like kids because he had an interrupted childhood and indulges in their old activities to cope with what he has experienced.
manuel martinez not to mention, in s2 he was being _possessed_ for a good portion of the season, which is even more trauma and a few months gone from his childhood. He missed out on a lot and yeah, he would want to go back to the good ol days, when he and his friends could play together and have fun like they used to.
Yes! I keep seeing so many articles bringing up Will's sexuality because of Mike saying something along the lines of "It's not my fault you don't like girls" and people fail to consider that one of the biggest things in his childhood has traumatized him and is trying to hold on to his friends that are slipping away and making it somethings its probably not supposed to be and immediately jumping to him being gay
Its so weird that Season 3 repeats some of Season 2's mistakes (Mike's a jerk, Will simply being the Mind Flayer detector, whatevers up with Nancy and Jonathan) and yet is much more fun to watch
Mike grows as a character, he becomes a better person at the end, Will has more to him in S3, and Nancy and Jonathan are a great duo, even though Nancy still needs to grow.
Mogens Gallardo Will IS just the mind flayer detector and that’s all to it in season 3. Please provide reasons why you disagree. Wanting to play dungeons and dragons and being the last one to grow up isn’t a valid point since, Mike’s line, “We’re not kids anymore” led to nothing
I think there’s a good mix, between sci-fi, action and teen drama, they did this for the audience who likes sci-fi and for the audience that likes teen drama (usually teenage girls) this is one of the main reasons it’s so popular it attracts different types of audiences because if it was just sci-fi not as many people would watch it and it would scare away other audiences, I will say though they do go a little heavy with the drama in season 3 and they don’t balance it as well as they did in season 2
Sci Fi Early 2000's Guy you’re just trying to stand out of the crowd, and you really come off as pretentious in this comment go back to you’re 80-70s sci-fi shows, Star Trek, quantum leap, this show obviously isn’t for you bud, you thought it was just gonna be sci-fi
Yeah I hear about this movie Avatar as well it was poorly written had dry character moments and was just a hot mess😆 some guy says it it means it's true Lololol
@@joshuadaye3453 yeah, but we all know she's gonna get them back and it will be as if she never lost them in the first place. And if I was a betting man, I'd say when she does get them back she's gonna pull some goku level shit.
@@yum8666 In defense of Season 2, most shows go through a rough patch in the sophomore season. It's practically expected in serials. That said, I also think it's difficult to outdo most series in their freshman seasons because those _usually_ get the most attention and love before a show is picked up.
I was a bit disappointed Kali didn't appear, or was even mentioned at all in 3. We spent a whole episode developing her character for her to not appear again. Hopefully she appears in 4 and gets a lot more development, because she honestly needs it. Also surprised you didn't mention Billy at all in this rant.
I always felt like season 4 would be the season where not only Eleven saves the day. I always thought the series would explore other people out there with abilities so that the S4 ending isn't the same as the last 3. It's pretty evident that they're using El as a crutch to rescue everyone each time. I think they should do something different next season.
@@Penelope416 I can defintely see that, considering El has lost her powers now. Tbh I've been interested in wondering what would happen to El if she was possessed and became the bad guy.
The "numbered children" part of the Stranger Things universe doesn't get as much attention as it should, in my opinion. I hope they reintroduce it into Season 4.
I kinda disagree. I get they really developed her (IMO a bit too much to then drop her) but I felt she was more of a plot basis for El to discover what she actually cares about. It also showed us the superhero theme or what is right and wrong and really helped El to grow and that was her purpose served. As Kali didn't really interest me a whole lot I'm personally glad she's not been back but I agree dropping her was a bit dumb
I enjoyed S2 a lot, but there is no doubt that S1 was iconic and beautifully written. The second season was still amazing in my opinion, but not as much so as the first. Season 3 and Season 1 are tied for me. I'm glad they redeemed themselves in a sense.
I disagree. I don't think season 2 was nearly as good as season 1 because of the missing mystery factor. And season 3 is like the second, but worse. It's all about the action and the "love", what really annoys me.
So true about Mike being a totally horrible and unlikeable character with no redeeming features. Sadly they double down on this in Season 3. What were they thinking? Why would you want the main character to be so unlikeable?
I disagree since the actually apologises and has a reason for his behaviour which is just he's a teenager (Not a great reason but it's better than season 2)
THANK YOU! S1 Mike was the glue of the party, the leader, the one who never let one kid feel left out, uncared for, or unloved. I understand the “careless hormonal teenager” route the duffers were going for because obviously kids grow up, but they took it way too far. To the point where Mike lost all of his loveable and recognizable character traits. He seemed like a totally different character to me and they just expanded that feeling in s3 with him not being interested in including Will or playing d&d with him. I know they somewhat redeem this at the end, but Will ends up moving away almost killing that redemption in the end. Dont even get me started on how they broke up the og party
Zoe Yea when he started whispering to El while hopper was just trying to be a good parent, i got so annoyed there was no need to make him that unlikeable
Olivia Tilley and Zoe - Totally!! And then he has the cheek to swear at Hopper in the van after finding out he was lying about his gran! Good portrayal of an annoying teenager = yes; likeable main character = no!
@@cuervus_ so did I honestly the only reason I remembered what her name even was, was because I watched this video I literally can't even remember the name of those other people with them if I tried
Tbh Season 1: pretty good but was pushed as more than that due to this decade's "hype" for 80s nostalgia. Overrated but not necessarily bad, just a pretty fun show. Season 2: a bit worse then the first one at pretty much every single aspect. There were pretty cool moments but nothing too memorable, the series started to become it's own thing I felt like the nostalgia tropes were less annoying than the first season. The character development was slow because to save some juice for the following seasons therefore we got some great dynamics with Steve and the kids and the new guy (forgot the name, Max's brother) as well the repetitive Joyce worrying mom antics, will's brother's and his girlfriend's... I-don't-even-remember-what, and really awkward and clumsily Eleven, Max and the whole teenage romamce thing which were tedious plastic like any other series for teens today. Overall this is a fun little series that gets overhyped way too much. But that's just my opinion. (I didn't watch the third season yet)
There's a moment where Billy is smoking a cigarette before the fight with steve, he flicks the cigarette then immediately after they show him smoking a whole cigarette after he just flicked it away.
Season 2 just kinda flew by. A lot of episodes didn’t have plot continuation and then near the end they continued the plot. Season 3 was pretty good to me. And I know this is last but season 1 nailed it
Season 3 is better than season 2 but it’s still ehhh to me. It was a fun season (enjoyed watching it), but season 1 was so good. Like S2&S3 feel more hollow to me than S1
@@helloimlilac I enjoyed season 1, but the hollowness of seasons 2 and 3 made them nearly excruciating to watch at times.. In fact, season 3 feels even more meaningless and haphazard than season 2, so much so that I haven't been able to watch beyond s3 episode 6.
You're right about Mike and Max not having their moment and Mike not growing. That would (a) have given Mike an arc and (b) made Max more integral, being the catalyst of Mike's arc. Once in the group as "zoomer", her car driving scene also shows her integrality to the plot and to the party. But I don't agree with you on most other points. For example, the way Bob was killed off was cliche and ridiculous. I think it would have been better for him to pass the first door, keep running full speed without his dumb pause, but then get mauled right before reaching Joyce. More emotionally shocking for us and more sensible for the character's actions. But overall, I really liked Bob's character and I shipped them the whole season. I don't see Bob as just a throwaway obstacle for Jopper. In fact, I would rather have seen him live. So the only part that fell flat for me was the execution of his death scene, but I loved all the rest. Another example: you say Nancy has just started feeling bad about Barb recently, but that isn't true. We learn that she has been having regular visits with Barb's parents for the last year. Her guilt and her inability to do anything because of the NDAs is what motivates her to find an alternative way to tell Barb's parents, hence the whole tape subplot. While the love triangle was a bit poor, this part at least makes sense. Also, she goes to Murray because Barb's parents are already paying him, so he's invested in Barb's story and Nancy knows he's got experience with investigations and publicizing them, which she doesn't. Nancy's arc in this season is in continuing to refine and develop her wit, independence, and resolve. Some may see it as repetitive, but I see it as expanding/continuing season 1's arc, not repeating it. There are other examples, but my comment is already too long.
Poor Bob. At first he was annoying to me, but mostly boring. Then he just suddenly goes along with all the insanity, which was probably a bit of a writer's crutch, but I found it funny. Then he actually contributes and I really start liking him. And then, he gets killed off in such a stupid, avoidable way. By the way Hopper, great job not using your gun there. You could have helped. But you wanted him to die!
Except the opposite, instead of it being the lab, it was the russians that were the ones opening up the gate to harness its power, but damn it was still frighteningly close enough
7:15 also season 3 takes mikes original dikish attitude towards max and flips it around, now max is pissed at mike, opressumably because they never reconciled
I think Max has a legitimate reason to dislike Mike. Like you said, Mike never showed her any kindness and he lied to Eleven. Mike's dickishness was unprompted and he still hasn't learned his lesson
@@privcraft_ i wouldnt say completely unprompted, id say he had a very human reaction to the farther of his girlfriend threatening to hurt him, what, you just gonna tell the girlfriend you care about that their dad is like that? no, youre gonna try and preserve their feelings
No one's attacking in these comments, I think most unbiased semi-critical people that watched S2 can agree that it was poorly written, especially in comparison to S1.
I'm more than semi-critical, and I found season 2 to be good. Was it perfect? No; but it was still good. "Poorly written" is subjective in the case of Stranger Things 2.
I found it to be a pastiche of the Series 1, as Foxcade said it felt undercooked, unprepared. A real sense of struggling to get it to fit together and an amping up of characters just so they weren't the characters they were in Series 1.
oh my god i think the high production values blinded me and how much i liked the first stranger things i now see the glaring designed floors. Great video keep it up!
Um, I liked 3 so much that I don’t even remember 2. Whatever anyone says, season 3 left me in bittersweet tears, and that’s never happened before. So I’ve got to say that stranger things is my favorite tv series ever (even tho the hipster part of my brain is screaming against it).
I bingewatched Stranger Thing's first season in the matter of two days and then completely dropped the second season. I've only made it halfway through your video so far but I am so happy to hear you line out the same gripes I had while watching it. Thank you and have a great day Fox!
@@brianfitzsimmons6074 Guess that depends on the viewer. I went into season 3 with very low expectations and still finished it with a negative opinion. It went from a mystery set in the 80s to a show constantly bashing people over the head with the 80s "nostalgia" because apparently people really love fanservice.
13:09 Max actually was, in a way, a brave girl that stands up to the monster while the boys cower in fear because while Billy (the monster) was beating Steve half to death she stuck the needle in his neck (standing up to him) while the boys were frozen in their place (cowering in fear)
I went into the second season with the same feelings as you. I questioned why we needed more from these characters when everything had been tied up extremely well. I found the fist two episodes the hardest to watch. First of all, all of the plot around Will's visions and his suffering has no impact because we haven't been shown that he is back to normality or that he is losing an ordinary life. Essentially he has no stakes to lose. I also found Jonathon and Nancy's relationship really irritating. I like them a lot as characters in S1, but its almost like they purposefully ignored any character growth from S1 just to reuse the same story again. I think it was good for what it was, but next time we need something different. Different characters with a different super natural element. Thanks for your thoughts.
"I found the fist two episodes the hardest to watch." I stopped right in the middle of episode 1. And that is after binge watching the first season. I had the same feeling I had when trying to watch Season 2 of True Detective.
Really good video, surprised it doesn't too many views. With the popularity of this show it seems like people are just hesitant to criticize it. All the issues in the second season are just continued right into the third. It's sad to see a show with such heart and passion become so sterile.
i really love this video because it put into words why i was so MEH about the disappointment that is season 2 and i really hope you make a video about your thoughts on season 3
Honestly I loved Mike and Hopper's relationship (however small it may be). That moment when mike punches Hopper for hiding El was one of the strongest, if not the strongest moment in season 2 for me. Edit: Season 3 ruined it.
@@namelessguy5491 I felt the same during the first episode. Episode 2 wasn't much better because of how he handled the situation with Hopper. Though as the season went on he did learn from and admitted his mistakes.
I have no idea why TH-cam recommended this, I've never really watched any stranger things videos on TH-cam and it's a 2 year old video, but I'm glad I did. It's been too long since I watched season 2 to really remember, but I love the video! Definitely subbing
as long as I live, I will always believe that Stranger Things should’ve been an anthology series. Season 1 was a great contained little 80s throwback story. Season 2 just seemed unnecessary. Fun, but unnecessary. Season 3 has similar problems to 2, but it expands on the characters and feels like a natural progression of the kids and the story. I can’t stop thinking how each season could’ve been a different story in a different era, etc. Similar to American Horror Story or Black Mirror, two very popular shows both known for having a variety of stories. I still like Stranger Things as it is now, but I can’t look past that wasted potential.
As someone who actively seeks out negativity I really wanted to watch this video, but to help myself better understand it I took the time to watch the first 2 seasons of Stranger Things, and thank you for accidentally introducing me to a show that I really enjoy. I had a great time watching it, and though it was not your intention I still feel the need to give thanks where it's due!
From Season 2 onwards, it felt like Mike had no purpose in the show and almost seems like he doesn’t work on his own without having to obsess over Eleven every episode and moping all throughout Season 2 or making his entire “arc” in Season 3 about being a good boyfriend to Eleven
4 seasons?! Season 3 was....a lot more disappointing than season 2, in my opinion, and again more of the same. I doubt they'll do something with Kali in season 4, as it's either gonna be disappointing to only see Kali and not any of the other numbered kids or it's gonna feel rushed as hell to only meet these numbered kids in the last season.
@GuiltyUntillProvenSober i think its because im not american, so i really couldnt find myself in the whole 4th of july thing. Hell, even in my own country i dont care for the whole "lets celebrate our country" thing. I did like a lot of the season, dont get me wrong. Id give it a solid 7/10. But the russians felt completely extra to me, like they were just sort of thrown in. I know they did it bc in the 80s every american movie villain was a russian, but every single one of em except alexei just felt like filler to me. I cant even remember the name of the russian terminator guy, i dont think they ever even mentioned it. I did like the whole max/eleven friendship, but i disliked how max became a total drama source all of a sudden. In the 2nd season she had a very anti-drama personality. When the boys were being weird and vague about not telling her stuff, she told them to eff off, basically. When mike was being a douchebag, she told him to eff off. Compare that to how shes super into shit stirring in the beginning of this season and it just felt wrong to me. 2nd season max wouldnt have given a shit about stirring up shit between el and mike, or flipping out at lucas for no apparent reason. Now shes telling el to spy on the boys? It just felt like a whole leap. Other than those problems though, i genuinely enjoyed the season. I liked murray and alexei a lot, looooved the friendship between robin and steve and billy's redemption arc was genuinely touching. But it did feel like more of the same. Problems in the friend group, problems between hop and el, will basically being a detect-o-monster and nothing else, joys love interest dying.. All happened in season 2 already. I am curious where theyll go next season now that el has seemingly lost her powers, but idk. While i enjoyed this season, it feels like they tried to emulate season 2 (and in some parts, did a better job than season 2 did, but it felt like emulating it all the same) while it couldve been so much more.
Brian Fitzsimmons he didn't do a whole lot until the end when he took charge got the ignition cable, tried to get the thing out of El, and drove the gang away from the mind flayer
Season 1 was amazing, Season 2 was kinda meh but still enjoyed it, and Season 3 was good as well but I felt like in that season everyone was getting into a relationship as if it was mandatory (LucasXMax, DustinXSuzie, ElvenXMike, HopperXWillsMom, etc) I even thought towards the end Steve and Robin would end up dating; while I liked them as a duo I’m kinda happy they stayed just as a friends because it felt more realistic. I also was wondering if they were ever going to bring back Kali (other mind power girl) back but she didn’t even get a mention and kind of the same story changed a bit; bad people are opening up the dimension and the heroes must close it so the Mind Flayer can’t destroy the world. I was hoping that maybe they would find another dimension and then discover that new environment conflicts (new antagonist) or bring in a different character that has supernatural abilities but this time keep them as a character throughout the season rather than just one episode. I just felt like there still issues in the 3rd season but I still loved it.
What’s hilarious about Season 3 is that there isn’t a single mention to Kali at all All we get is a *still frame* that lasts for *half a second* That’s how much the creators just wanted to forget about S2 E7
I haven't finished the new season yet. 1 episode to go but I feel a lot of these things also still effect season 3. Alot of stuff and motivations are used again like it never happened. A lot of development gets thrown out of the window again.
@@Weird_but_neat hhhmmm eh I still think season 1 is the best. They handle the changes from light to dark somewhat better and the build up is more genuine for me in the first season. This season went from dark af to happy saturated shopping sprees hahaha. Also think the character motivations and actions are a lot clearer and thus fresher
Unpopular opinion- Max and Lucas should’ve stayed as friends. I think they’re cute but I don’t see the chemistry. It seemed like Max only thinks she likes Lucas because he is the only guy who actually treats her with an ounce of respect this season.
I agree. They had no on screen romance like Mike and El. They broke up 5 times and they never told us why. She probably just got caught up in the moment at the snow ball dance. I think they should stay friends next season or show more screen time for Lumax
Honestly after season 1, stranger things was written pretty badly with maybe a few exceptions with good character moments like Steve and Dustin, Mike reuniting with El, plus expanding on El's+Billy's backstory and Billy's sacrifice. Stranger things 4 only recently bought things back to almost the level of season 1's writing. With the tragedy of max and Venca's curse, along with El not being op, the mystery element from season 1 that was lacking season 2+3 and having a interesting backstory retcon or not. Oh and mike was a dick to Max, but max was also really unlikeable and rude to almost everyone in the show till like season 4.
you literally said everything that i have felt crazy for thinking about stranger things 2, and said it better than i could Good to know i'm not the only one who felt let down, great video man!!
Season 2 is forgettable, not that entertaining, and many mistakes (as said in the video). Season 1 is the best hands down. Season 3 is a little annoying and you see visible mistakes but it’s still enjoyable to watch and a little satisfying (in my opinion).
But you gotta appreciate Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein for their work, i mean the soundtracks and sound effects just lifts up the scenes and makes it much more powerfull to watch
Zaid gul Khan Dixon and Stein's soundtrack for season 1 was phenomenal, season 2 was about as good but introduced a terrible song for all the emotional moments called Eulogy which sounds like a dying turtle being squashed by a rock
16:59 YES THANK YOU IVE FELT SO ANGRY ABOUT THAT SINCE IT HAPPENED. It felt so lame and unsatisfying and dumb. The character was completely unneeded and was only there to make people cry. It also complicates stuff in S3 but if you’ve watched it you’ll know how uncomfortable it feels
I hated season 2 of Stranger Things. I agree with everything you said. There wasn't much the Duffer brothers added to the story or the world. The upside down was incredibly underdeveloped in season 1 so season 2 should have expanded on it but they merely just added this mind flayer thing with absolutely no context. The real threat are the demodogs which arent as imposing or powerful as the demogorgon. I was pissed most of my viewing time after the third episode. I was uninterested, uninvested, predictable, and impatiently waiting for the story to move along. By the end, the most important plot thread, the mind flayer, is still underdeveloped. Season one wrapped the story up pretty tightly and writing future stories needed to be well thought out. I've watched the first season like 5 times and still love it. I have no desire to revist season 2 like ever. lol
@@Thierce That's true, but the mind flayer was made to seem like the biggest bad there is in the stranger things universe. I think it would be a waste to use him just for half a season. That's like using ultron for half a movie and then having Thanos being the villian for the other half.
@@ItsSupercat94 It doesn't matter who was supposed to be the ultimate vilain ; my point is the writers handled it badly. They should have either used two different villains for the seasons 2&3 and developp them fully within their own seasons, or have handled him better in season 2 so that he felt like more a threat, the way he did in season 3
Can you do a vid about season 3? I think they fixed the problems of season 2 as well as expanded themes and scope! It feels like the Duffer Brothers know more about were to take the characters and story.
Honestly this is how I thought about the seasons Season 1: the cliffhanger exists but I don’t care about a sequel Season 2: wasn’t needed and I want a sequel less now Season 3: can not WAIT for the next, they did so much this season and it took the stuff from season 1 and added steroids to that, Murray went from one of the weakest characters to straight up having his own phone number as an Easter egg for secret dialogue
Season 1: Super mysterious and even scary Season 2: Nice character development, still a great Season Season 3: Even more character development and still amazing No issues with any season
I'm curious if you'd be interested in doing another deconstruction of Stranger Things s3, I personally think s3 (while not perfect) was considerably better than s2 and it might be interesting to do a compare and contrast, since some of the same story beats are recycled from s2 but reworked to make them a bit stronger (ie hopper and joyce meeting murray vs. nancy and jonathan)
Season 1 was creepy, mysterious, and ominous. Season 2 was still creepy but more action packed and intense. Lastly, season 3 was more comedic with lot and of action and little scariness. Overall, I love every season and each one has its own greatness but I do think season 1 kept true to the title more.
Just u wait for season three because will does even less Season 3 includes: -4 separate relationship conflicts that don't add much to the story -Will... Touching his neck! -a mall -not the same plot but an even more bland and uninteresting one that adds nothing to the lore as a whole, it's just the mind flayer and he's uh Well he's there He's got a...friend...wait..who's the mind flayer Anyway the gate is closed the end The only part of season 3 that I enjoyed was Steve, Robin coming out, and Alexei It completely failed to pull me in like the first season, towards the last few episodes I was just watching to get it over with, I wasn't invested in the ending at all
I don't agree Mike needed a cliche reconciliation scene with Max where he stops being a dick as I believe it was purposeful. He is the Alpha nerd who is a bit of a loser outside his circle raised by people in a loveless marriage. Max shook up the dynamics of his crew. His dad has a beautiful wife because he was the safe option for her out of high-school and she stays because of her kids not because she is in love with him. 11 was his undeserved prize in S1 too as she was a blank slate and he was the first person(er 2nd RIP Benny) who was ever nice to her. S3 shows that outside of the circumstances of their meeting 11 could think Mike is a loser like most of his classmates already do. Him remaining a dick sets up why Max is so quick to crap on Mike to 11 in S3. Writing this now I realize 11 staying with Mike is basically his Mom staying with his Dad. I think his character and lack of a growth arc makes sense if we remember his father and bits of Nancy's story in S1 and how in real life growth isn't some neat and tidy process if it ever occurs. That and kids just don't grow that quickly. S1 made more sense because they were friends for a long time and clearly 11 had been through some crazy stuff. Though being fair Lucas being a dick was just as bad because it shouldn't have taken that long to be nice to her. We only excused it because he was 11. The Duffer brothers do a poor job showing that Mike's home-life is relatively shitty but the hints are there even without S3 from Nancy's POV. Missed opportunity in S3 to show that more through the Mom's interactions with Billy. Hopefully with S4 and Mike without 11, Will, possibly Lucas&Dustin since they have other friends we'll see more of his home life, how little of a role-model his father is, and perhaps Mike unravel some especially if Will&El are doing well in their new town while he is going solo through his terrible teens. Maybe I'm wrong but seeing how well and more realistically the older Teens are developed, especially if you contrast Mike to Nancy, I think Mike being a dick is just the Duffer Brothers setting up that in real life you don't meet the awesome love of your life in middle school and live happily ever with only a few quickly resolved hiccups along the way(not counting Cthulu problems). He's a product of his environment where his father got the sweet life being the unimpressive man he is as Nancy and Mom never defended the guy. Or we'll get a cliche story line where Mike is the only person for 11 and they stay in touch through Dustin's Ham radio with little exploration of their character's going through realistic teenage growing pains just like they don't dive into Will's mental trauma too much. Dad stays a background character. Though both developments could happen in S4 as 15/16 is when people truly start becoming introspective and the script went there with Nancy so why not the kids as they become Adults? Also unresolved mystery behind why Max had to move. Will and 11 not becoming extremely close due to proximity and their experiences with the upside will be a missed opportunity. As would Mike's reaction to 11 having a growing social life with boys showing interest in her and a realistic depiction of a long-distance relationship(IE they don't work and kids shouldn't force things).
Season 1 is the best whereas season 2 is barely entertaining and season 3 has a lazy yet somehow satisfying finale. It seems to be taking a downward slide but I’m gonna continue to watch the series until it gets cancelled unlike Game Of Thrones.
7:59 that’s not entirelyyy completely true.. when Max was able to drive them to the hole for their plan to set fire to the tunnels he said it was “incredible” and she responded with “Told you. Zoomer”. While this is a super small gesture it was not on accident that it was put in the script. Afterwards there wasn’t any real hate towards Max
Natalia Vargas facts I just wish there would’ve been some sort of callback to this in season 3, like the whole scene with them trying to get out of the mall and also while they’re trying to hide was a PERFECT opportunity to put her to use because we know she’s savvy in a different way than other characters as can do things such as drive and pick locks MAX DESERVED BETTER
I loved season 1 and season 2 lost me. Now I'm just indifferent. It's the same thing without the explanations. It was a drag. I was so damn excited and left unsatisfied. I never looked up ant videos on if anyone felt how I did but watching your Resi 4 retrospective and this was recommended and I seriously thought I was the only one who didn't enjoy season 2. Wow. great video.
I just finished watching the 3 seasons for the first time. I actually quite enjoyed the first two seasons. I can agree with some of your complaints but they just didn't bother me as much while watching. While season 1 is probably still the better overall package, the ending, in my opinion, felt almost "too perfect". It kinda bothered me that nobody except for Will has any lasting impacts from the adventure they went on. So I found it cool that they expanded on this to show that this emotionally taxing adventure did in fact leave an impact on these characters. I also found season 2's ending much more satisfying than season 1, It felt like a more well rounded ending (they literally close the gate to hell essentially) and you could leave these characters off to finally move on with their lives, which I didn't entirely buy with S1's ending.
Marceli Tucker-Szudra actually it was Sadie (max) who didn’t want to kiss Caleb (Lucas)...Millie (El) wanted to kiss Finn (Mike) because of how much the fans love mileven but Sadie didn’t want to kiss Caleb the duffers just added it last minute
yeetus to the feetus Season 2: *Bob dies* Season 3: *Hopper is presumed dead and leaves her house* The only time we saw Joyce happy was when Will was saved from the Upside Down in Season 1.
Season 2 is the least rewatchable. I just can never being myself to see it again mostly because Eleven is basically omitted from the main group and doesnt really do much and that the characters never felt like they actually grew as people.
You are the voice in my head. Additionally, let’s not pretend that Episode 7 was not the writers attempt to, “Punch *some* people in the face.” Season 3 is very much the same.
It as the 80s. I was there. Mike wasn't being an asshole by being "Mildly Racist" This was how we were taught to think and believe and behave in middle America. If there was one black guy in the group, he was going to get saddled with all the black parts, if there even were any...from Lando to Winston, that's just how it was and it was very rarely questioned. Was there bad stuff in season 2? Yes. Everything to do with "The Lost Sister" was trash and just a derailment of the series, but applying "woke" mid 2010s logic to the behavior of characters from the 80s shows you don't know WTF you're talking about.
although i do like stranger things, season 2 and 3 have felt a bit dragged out. season 2 did not bother me as much because i did enjoy a lot of the characters development (though i did have my gripes with it), but season 3 definitely felt like they kept opening up a closed book. the continuous resolutions at the ends of seasons and the reopening of the same problems has sometimes felt monotonous. there are so many wonderful things about the show that keep me watching every season, but i believe that they have disappointed me in terms of overarching plot from season to season
Seriously, either drop the supernatural element of the show after season 1, or maybe focus on a new threat. Frankly the upside down and monsters are uninspired and that was fine for season 1 since it was vague enough to be intriguing. Now it is frankly lame.
Nick Wiley i think the problem is that since we already understand the upside down, there is so much less mystery than in the first season. the audience can’t really experience the fear of the unknown, and it prevents people from keeping as much interest
Season 1 was a legit horror show. Meanwhile in Season 2 we have demogorgons turning into pets with a sense of "love/attachment", dragging it all the way down to a PG13 kid's show.
Though I enjoyed season 2, there were several valid points about the story development and character flaws that didn’t pay off. One thing that I felt was missing was the bullying from season 1 on the main cast, their misfits and not really explored again in season 2. It could have given almost a backlapse for the characters due to Eleven’s missing part in most of the season, instead they paid more attention to new characters.
i disagree with the truth getting out not having lasting effects. the reason they wanted barb’s parents to know barb was dead was because they were on a hopeless mission and about to sell their house. they were waisting tons of money and nancy knew it was for nothing. the “truth” getting out gave the family closure, and yes, justice for barb. also, the scientists do get killed off by those demodogs but those were reinforcements for those killed off by eleven in season 1. that means if the lab did not get shut down, more reinforcements could of come again. so ultimately, there were lasting effects that plot line had.
legoboy0109 Same, Will is one of my favorite characters so I was glad they didn’t just use him and some kid who needed to be saved again. My only issue is that he got barely any screen time. It would’ve been nice to see Will more and how he’s coping with everything. For me the only character building scene is when he destroyed Castle Byers (it really showed that he understood that he isn’t a kid anymore) which was super heartbreaking. Noah is a phenomenal actor and I hope we can really see more of who Will is in season 4.
Season one was really good, it had some creative moments in writing and had great character development, but there is a movie called Super 8, it’s not that well known, it’s a movie by JJ Abrams, but so much from that movie was ripped off by stranger things, and I think Super 8 is more relatable and more realistic kids, but I really enjoyed season 1 of stranger things, it was a solid 8.7/10 SEASON 2 HOWEVER (I’ll be 100%, honest, I really liked it when it first came out, but now there are so many things wrong with it) Season 2 felt unnecessary because it just felt like a ploy to tell the fan base that eleven is alive. The monster felt pushed in and had no impact, it wasn’t even referenced in season 1, the characters felt boring and not relatable, I won’t talk about episode 7 because it sucked sooo much, the only thing I liked was the cinematography, but for a show that is praised for having amazing storytelling, no no no, I disagree, season 2 is a 5.5/10
"because it just felt like a ploy to tell the fan base that eleven is alive" The trailers already spoiled that Eleven is alive though. So that's the fault of spoiler trailers though.
SEB FLYNN FILMS Super 8 and Stranger Things are both homages to the same set of 80s kids adventure and horror movies, it's inevitable that they'd have a lot of similarities
It gets worse in ST3 (regarding plot, that is). Joyce and Hopper's arc revolves around finding out why Joyce's magnets dont function anymore. Dustin and Steve's arc's inciting incident occurs by accident. The rest of the gang's story is based on spying on other people and the spookiest thought of all... mike and el breaking up. Jonathan, Billy (as a character), Max, Will, and Lucas dont function whatsoever. Was it specified why the Russians were even harnessing the Upside Down?
I actually just finished season 3 and I kept getting pulled out by all the dumb decisions they were making. At one point in the Russian underground lab, all the kids go right up to a window to look at a laser and there are just scientists walking around on the other side of the glass with the kids completely visible. In fact one scientist woman actually WALKS TOWARDS THEM in a way that there’s no way she didn’t see them and they just cut away. After like the fourth time this happened, the contrivance was too much and I stopped watching. Still have two episodes left but I have no motivation to finish it at this point.
Not sure how I missed this vid, maybe I didn't want anything to make my opinion about this season any worse than it already was. However, I think you nailed all the things that bothered me about this season. I knew this season bugged me somehow, but couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what it was. It's a nice job of thoughtful analysis and sound reasoning, and it makes sense without ranting. In other words, good vid man! I just watched your Batman: AA vid, I love that game, and you nailed that one too.Btw, Dark Knight is, one of my favorite movies too, if not THE favorite. Glad to have stumbled on to your channel, looking forward to checking out your other vids. (Sorry for the long comment, seems you have plenty of those.😁)
Alright I just watched season two so I can finally watch your video! I didn't think it was perfect but I did enjoy it overall, so I'm interested in what you have to say about it. I'm gonna keep a running commentary below.
It would be more repetative if Mike really did do the same thing as Lucas and have that reconcilliation scene with Max. Plus, I don't really think it's the same situation. With Lucas, he was being an ass for reasons related to El herself, while Mike is being an ass to Max even before they've talked to her because he's being an as because of something in himself. In order for him to have reconciled that with Max, he would have had to explain himself/his insecurities, and I just don't see how it could have been believable or reasonable for him to have shared such personal stuff with her then. Mike didn't really grow this season, but I don't think he needed to.
I agree that it would have been nice to have the subplots meet up more cohesively.
I would have liked the Jonathan/Nancy subplot to have developed their relationship further, not necessarily in a romantic sense but in the sense of how do their different priorities and worldviews meet/how do they affect each other? At least give us more with how concerned Jonathan is of Will and then Nancy thinking about her relationship with Mike. Maybe that would have helped connect the different groups more. Honestly, I feel like the reporter subplot was entirely pointless and actually forgot about it trying to remember what they were doing during that part of the show.
I feel like the scenes in the first season did more things at once, always moving along the characters and the plot and the tension, but the second season wasn't as condensed, which made it feel like we needed more time on the characters when it really was long enough.
I agree completely about Max. So much potential, so little done with it. I really liked Billy though, I thought he worked well to establish some setting/perspective for the high school part of the cast and also his character is just great in the later episodes.
Joyce/Bob is best ship I was so upset when he died. He should have lived and proved all the formula wrong. And it was so cliche and stupid too, I knew it was coming and I hated it.
I didn't get the sense that the Barb thing was tacked on. To me, it was pretty clear that hadn't been complaining because of the nondisclosure agreements but had still felt horrible about it and kept in touch with Barb's parents. She knew there was nothing she could do about it so she was trying to ignore how terrible she felt, but repression doesn't work and not only was she sick of it and sick of how she felt like her relationship with Steve was tied with ignoring Barb, but she saw how Barb's parents were ruining their lives with hope and she knew she couldn't handle justifications any longer because she felt wrong. And Steve's reactions are entirely justified to. There breakup made sense to me. They just kind of fell out of allignment/expectations for their relationship.
Yeah, I had the same problem with Murray.
I don't think Steve knows she /should/ be with Jonathan, I think he just resigns himself to the fact that she's /not/ going to be with him. He knew when she didn't say she loved him, he wanted to see if he could get her back even though he acknowleges the original problem hasn't been resolved because what's he supposed to apoligize for when he did nothing, and then he finally accepts that it's her that moved away and he just has to be okay with that, he can't and wouldn't want to force a relationship to work.
Yeah, I agree about reusing the roles and the stakes.
I liked the seventh episode not because of power growth but because of the turning point in El's whole plot this season, which was "what is home?" She's understandibly frustrated and unsatisfied with her home with Hopper until it's too much for her to stay saying this is all I'll get, so she leaves to see if she can find home with her mother, but that isn't to be but she finds her sister in like the opposite of Hopper. Her sister is saying home is with her and choosing your family with outcasts and they have her doing things, and a key contrast is Hopper was trying to protect her and open to understanding her and compromise but Kali has a viewpoint and keeps pushing it on El with a creepy certainty. Then the vision with Mike happens and she realizes that home /is/ who you choose but she's choosing to be a protecter for who she loves rather than a killer with her sister who she loves. I found it to be an important revelation and El really making a decision/choice.
I will say, one thing I was happy with was the concept of tunnel-roots underground. I thought that was a great way for the Upside Down to not get that sense of stale/know, though I don't think they really emphasized the horror/it's everywhere feel they could have with that concept. Like, mold and roots and fungi are creepy, and Tremmors proved that giant creatures making tunnels through the ground is creepy, you had to immediately introduce a map and say it hasn't reached town and thus make it not creepy? Wasted opportunity.
I'd love to talk with you about any of these points if you read them and have something to say!
Wow, thats a lot haha First, thanks for coming back to watch the video, that is much appreciated!
I do see what your saying with the Mike stuff. My whole thing is that it would have been more cathartic/satisfying to have him connect with Max in the end, especially considering she took the time to understand him and was extending her hand by saying she understood why he was acting the way he was. I wasn't expecting a full apology or for him to be her best friend, just some introspection on his part that she isn't replacing El and he needed to grow up a bit. How he was played this season just made him unlikable to me.
Ya, one of my issues about season 2 that I couldn't properly convey is that it felt much more scattered than season 1 was, with a lot of subplots not really having any thematic or narrative purpose to the main plot.
Billy was a cool character, as he felt like an old school bully character. Again, I just wish Max and him had a bit more relevance to the story as a whole.
With Bob, I was hoping the same thing. If they subverted the cliche and had him save the day unscathed, despite not being the big burly man that Hopper is, would have been much more interesting as a whole. Supposedly, the actors had to fight for Sean Austin/Bob to even get the scenes where he unlocks the door, as he was originally just going to be killed off unceremoniously.
I did get the whole theme of "family/what is home" El's character arc in episode 7, but it just felt really sloppy in terms of how it fit into the structure of the season, and came off a bit like it needed to set up future plot threads for later. I didn't hate it, it just felt out of place. Plus Kali and her group weren't that interesting to me.
Its funny, I liked the idea of the tunnel roots, with the upside infesting the town in a very "Lovecraty" way, but the map thing felt like an attempt to redo the alphabet wall. I didn't hate it or anything, but it came off like the writers were trying to recapture the magic from season 1 when they heard everyone loved the alphabet wall. This is very much a personal gripe though, which is why I took it out of the script for this video.
Again, thanks for such a thought out comment! I didn't make this video to tell people they are wrong for enjoying season 2, as I'm not an expert on narrative or film making, just pointing out what I feel are flaws in the story, so I'm glad to see people are wanting to have a dialogue about what they thought, and what they enjoyed about the season where I may not have.
Very thought-provoking video and I agree with you on everything you say. Here are my thoughts on the season as a whole:
--There is too much character-focused content and way too much emphasis on pairings, without it really driving the plot forward. Characters should develop through the plot, and their actions should move it forward.
--I think that just the first episode would have been enough to show how the past year had affected them. They spent way too much time on this, slowing down the pacing. Also, wouldn't this have brought them closer? I didn't really like how they became divided when they should have felt more connected.
--Hopper and El's relationship wasn't nuanced enough for me. He acted like an authoritarian and jerk toward El at times, and was mean for no reason. She seemed like she was a prisoner for most of the season, separated from everybody. It took too long to get her involved in the plot, which nullified her reunion and choice to come back. To me, it was kind of unbelievable that she suddenly knew what was going on with Will so late in the season. Seems like she would have known this for the past year, visiting Mike in the void?
--Because the lab was basically stripped of its power, I didn't think of them as a threat except for the dialogue to tell us that. Hence, why I think Hopper came off as a prison guard keeping El away from everyone. You really never saw anyone (beside episode 2) looking for her. If you saw this throughout, then I would more understand where Hopper was coming from.
--Mike is not the only one poorly written this season like you say. In fact, I think Nancy using her grief and understanding of losing Barb (rather than the whole justice for Barb thing!), asking for Jonathan for advice (with his close relationship with WIll and helping him) in order to help Mike with his grief, would have been a better use of her as a character.
-El's jealousy and cold shoulder toward Max made her a bit unlikable too. It seemed out of character for her after seeing jealousy get between Lucas and Mike last season.
Thank you again for the video!
@@sarahdugas135 Hopper's over-protectiveness actually stems from the loss of his daughter, and he fears losing someone whose become like another daughter to him (Eleven). I feel like he does a good job of coming to terms with this later in the season. It helps give an extra layer of depth to why Hopper makes the decisions that he does.
Justin Stewart here’s the thing though....he was already over protective in season 2 but it was very realistic. This time it just seemed so cartoonish
Reeeee
Kali doesn't even exist in Season 3 xD
Good.
Thank GOD!
I fuckin hated her
Although i did have mr clarke withdrawals
Who?
The "Lost Sister" episode was basically a DLC plotline. It adds something to the lore, but it's also something closed off enough to where it doesn't affect the progression of the main plot.
CrimsonOptics thank you. For giving purpose to that episode.
CrimsonOptics exactly the plot could’ve been way better explored and added to the story instead of 1 throwaway eps
Also she met her mum we were wondering about and met someone who helped her learn how to channel her powers which contributed to the finale
NO WE DONT TALK ABOUT THAT EPOSIDE...... EVER!
@@dylanwalker1205 get a life
Evolution of will:
Season 1: Needs to be saved
Season 2: Plot device that needs to be saved
Season 3:Plot device
I wish there was some justice for my boy
He only really had one moment in s3 huh. It’s a shame too because s2 proved that the kid who plays Will can REALLY act, like he has some talent.
Season 3: "can we go play D&D now?"
They would be better off killing him in season 4, it would make room for moments of character growth, and it's not like he has any other purpose to the story.
Idk, I'm only just finished episode 4 of season 3, but I'm enjoying Will's feelings of being sidelined and his yearnings for a more innocent, simpler past. Yeah, he hasn't really impacted a great deal plot-wise aside from being aware of the Mindflayer but I'm still engaged.
FinnSword exactly😪
Definitely they have missed opportunities with not really addressing Will’s trauma and having his friends understand that he wants them to continue to play like kids because he had an interrupted childhood and indulges in their old activities to cope with what he has experienced.
I keep seeing comments like this saying Will had an interrupted childhood but
I don´t get why Will was only in the upsidedown for like a week
@@manny101796 Its a week trying to survive in the upside down.
That would have been traumatic and would definitely interfere with his childhood.
manuel martinez not to mention, in s2 he was being _possessed_ for a good portion of the season, which is even more trauma and a few months gone from his childhood. He missed out on a lot and yeah, he would want to go back to the good ol days, when he and his friends could play together and have fun like they used to.
@@saltwatersweets in s2 is was also like a week
Yes! I keep seeing so many articles bringing up Will's sexuality because of Mike saying something along the lines of "It's not my fault you don't like girls" and people fail to consider that one of the biggest things in his childhood has traumatized him and is trying to hold on to his friends that are slipping away and making it somethings its probably not supposed to be and immediately jumping to him being gay
Its so weird that Season 3 repeats some of Season 2's mistakes (Mike's a jerk, Will simply being the Mind Flayer detector, whatevers up with Nancy and Jonathan) and yet is much more fun to watch
Mike grows as a character, he becomes a better person at the end, Will has more to him in S3, and Nancy and Jonathan are a great duo, even though Nancy still needs to grow.
Will literally is a talk on how painful it is to grow up. He's definitely not just a mind flayer detector in season 3
don´t forget Dustin and Steve bromance
Mogens Gallardo Will IS just the mind flayer detector and that’s all to it in season 3. Please provide reasons why you disagree. Wanting to play dungeons and dragons and being the last one to grow up isn’t a valid point since, Mike’s line, “We’re not kids anymore” led to nothing
@@snoozed6162 I agree. Kinda sucks that Will was just a detector.
There is just no need for all this love plots. This is turning into a teen drama.
Your main characters are teenagers..
Yep. it's generic and cliche. no longer an interesting show, not that I really liked it much in the first place.
I think there’s a good mix, between sci-fi, action and teen drama, they did this for the audience who likes sci-fi and for the audience that likes teen drama (usually teenage girls) this is one of the main reasons it’s so popular it attracts different types of audiences because if it was just sci-fi not as many people would watch it and it would scare away other audiences, I will say though they do go a little heavy with the drama in season 3 and they don’t balance it as well as they did in season 2
Sci Fi Early 2000's Guy you’re just trying to stand out of the crowd, and you really come off as pretentious in this comment go back to you’re 80-70s sci-fi shows, Star Trek, quantum leap, this show obviously isn’t for you bud, you thought it was just gonna be sci-fi
@Mitchell Cheatham nah not really I just don't like it
Will isnt a character. He is someone that just pushes the plot
nmikk10 the guys jarring
Ye
Like a good dungeon master.
That annoys me to no end
Toon Trooper he had some more character in 3. And 1 was understandable since he was missing the whole season. 2 has no excuse
The only good thing that came out of season 2 was Steve
Ella Pocock Billy
Billy
Rip homie billy
Yeah I hear about this movie Avatar as well it was poorly written had dry character moments and was just a hot mess😆 some guy says it it means it's true Lololol
Steve was so cool in season 2
What's the point of Stranger Things if you know that it's just gonna end with Eleven scrraming at the monster and destroying it
Not in season 3
Josh Reidy have you seen season 3? lmao
Josh Reidy To answer your question. Because it's fucking awesome to watch and there wasn't eleven screaming at a monster in season 3
Lone Tardigrade she literally lost her powers
@@joshuadaye3453 yeah, but we all know she's gonna get them back and it will be as if she never lost them in the first place.
And if I was a betting man, I'd say when she does get them back she's gonna pull some goku level shit.
please make a review like this of season 3. I found this very interesting and would like to hear your take on s3
Kyle Smith it would probably be more positive tho
@@mattyice9300 not as good as season 1 still a lot better than season 2
@@yum8666 In defense of Season 2, most shows go through a rough patch in the sophomore season. It's practically expected in serials. That said, I also think it's difficult to outdo most series in their freshman seasons because those _usually_ get the most attention and love before a show is picked up.
@@maxcovfefe and those freshmen seasons get the most time good point tho
I was a bit disappointed Kali didn't appear, or was even mentioned at all in 3. We spent a whole episode developing her character for her to not appear again. Hopefully she appears in 4 and gets a lot more development, because she honestly needs it.
Also surprised you didn't mention Billy at all in this rant.
I always felt like season 4 would be the season where not only Eleven saves the day. I always thought the series would explore other people out there with abilities so that the S4 ending isn't the same as the last 3.
It's pretty evident that they're using El as a crutch to rescue everyone each time. I think they should do something different next season.
@@Penelope416 I can defintely see that, considering El has lost her powers now. Tbh I've been interested in wondering what would happen to El if she was possessed and became the bad guy.
The "numbered children" part of the Stranger Things universe doesn't get as much attention as it should, in my opinion. I hope they reintroduce it into Season 4.
@@freezerounds I agree. Can you make me some pancakes with your special syrup?
I kinda disagree. I get they really developed her (IMO a bit too much to then drop her) but I felt she was more of a plot basis for El to discover what she actually cares about. It also showed us the superhero theme or what is right and wrong and really helped El to grow and that was her purpose served. As Kali didn't really interest me a whole lot I'm personally glad she's not been back but I agree dropping her was a bit dumb
The first point is even more evident in the third season
Though they improved
Mike is just always useless
@@joshuacupido4907 And still a dick
Not only the first
Yeah Mike still treats Max like a dick I’m annoyed Max doesn’t deserve it.
I enjoyed S2 a lot, but there is no doubt that S1 was iconic and beautifully written. The second season was still amazing in my opinion, but not as much so as the first.
Season 3 and Season 1 are tied for me. I'm glad they redeemed themselves in a sense.
I disagree. I don't think season 2 was nearly as good as season 1 because of the missing mystery factor. And season 3 is like the second, but worse. It's all about the action and the "love", what really annoys me.
Yeah
I really like the horror feel to season 3, it is a much darker, harder season to watch.
season 3 was horrible. It felt like a parody of the show
I love the comedy mate with Robin and Lucas s sister
I may not agree with your conclusions, but you aren't being a jerk and shouldn't be “crucified.” Thanks for explaining your opinion.
So true about Mike being a totally horrible and unlikeable character with no redeeming features. Sadly they double down on this in Season 3. What were they thinking? Why would you want the main character to be so unlikeable?
I disagree since the actually apologises and has a reason for his behaviour which is just he's a teenager (Not a great reason but it's better than season 2)
THANK YOU! S1 Mike was the glue of the party, the leader, the one who never let one kid feel left out, uncared for, or unloved. I understand the “careless hormonal teenager” route the duffers were going for because obviously kids grow up, but they took it way too far. To the point where Mike lost all of his loveable and recognizable character traits. He seemed like a totally different character to me and they just expanded that feeling in s3 with him not being interested in including Will or playing d&d with him. I know they somewhat redeem this at the end, but Will ends up moving away almost killing that redemption in the end. Dont even get me started on how they broke up the og party
because sometimes characters are assholes
Zoe Yea when he started whispering to El while hopper was just trying to be a good parent, i got so annoyed there was no need to make him that unlikeable
Olivia Tilley and Zoe - Totally!! And then he has the cheek to swear at Hopper in the van after finding out he was lying about his gran! Good portrayal of an annoying teenager = yes; likeable main character = no!
Season 3 makes episode 7 all the more pointless lmao
ObiDaSauceMan i think cause everyone who watched the show knew that it was a retarded fuckin episode
i legit forgot Kali existed until after i finished season 3
you really could delete that subplot and it would make no signficant difference
@@cuervus_ so did I honestly the only reason I remembered what her name even was, was because I watched this video I literally can't even remember the name of those other people with them if I tried
Mike Forti nah I see more positive comments about season 3 than negative ones,season 3 is definitely a step up from boring ass season 2
it was kinda important. el probably would’ve never closed the gate without Kali’s advice...
From what I've gathered from the comment section;
*Season 1:* Amazing
*Season 2 and 3:* Mixed reception
I wouldn’t call it a mixed reception, like 90% of people love them and 10% had some issues with them.
I’d say season 3 has almost the same reception as season 1 but less only because it isn’t something “new.”
Season 2 wasn’t that bad. Though I think it’s more forgettable than season 1. Season 3 is pretty good.
All seasons sucked ass in their own way
Tbh
Season 1: pretty good but was pushed as more than that due to this decade's "hype" for 80s nostalgia. Overrated but not necessarily bad, just a pretty fun show.
Season 2: a bit worse then the first one at pretty much every single aspect. There were pretty cool moments but nothing too memorable, the series started to become it's own thing I felt like the nostalgia tropes were less annoying than the first season. The character development was slow because to save some juice for the following seasons therefore we got some great dynamics with Steve and the kids and the new guy (forgot the name, Max's brother) as well the repetitive Joyce worrying mom antics, will's brother's and his girlfriend's... I-don't-even-remember-what, and really awkward and clumsily Eleven, Max and the whole teenage romamce thing which were tedious plastic like any other series for teens today.
Overall this is a fun little series that gets overhyped way too much. But that's just my opinion. (I didn't watch the third season yet)
There's a moment where Billy is smoking a cigarette before the fight with steve, he flicks the cigarette then immediately after they show him smoking a whole cigarette after he just flicked it away.
holy shit I forgot about so much from season 2. lmao seems like the writers did as well.
Season 2 just kinda flew by. A lot of episodes didn’t have plot continuation and then near the end they continued the plot. Season 3 was pretty good to me. And I know this is last but season 1 nailed it
Articulate My ranks:
3
1
2
Although 1 and 3 are pretty much tied
To be fair, at least as far as I'm concerned, season 3 addressed a lot of these problems. Which is why I think it's superior to season 2.
Although season 3 has it's own issues...
Season 3 is better than season 2 but it’s still ehhh to me. It was a fun season (enjoyed watching it), but season 1 was so good. Like S2&S3 feel more hollow to me than S1
@@Alice-si8uz - Every show has its own issues. There's no such thing as a perfect show.
@@helloimlilac I enjoyed season 1, but the hollowness of seasons 2 and 3 made them nearly excruciating to watch at times.. In fact, season 3 feels even more meaningless and haphazard than season 2, so much so that I haven't been able to watch beyond s3 episode 6.
For me, 3 is a tad better than 1. Not by much though.
You're right about Mike and Max not having their moment and Mike not growing. That would (a) have given Mike an arc and (b) made Max more integral, being the catalyst of Mike's arc. Once in the group as "zoomer", her car driving scene also shows her integrality to the plot and to the party.
But I don't agree with you on most other points. For example, the way Bob was killed off was cliche and ridiculous. I think it would have been better for him to pass the first door, keep running full speed without his dumb pause, but then get mauled right before reaching Joyce. More emotionally shocking for us and more sensible for the character's actions. But overall, I really liked Bob's character and I shipped them the whole season. I don't see Bob as just a throwaway obstacle for Jopper. In fact, I would rather have seen him live. So the only part that fell flat for me was the execution of his death scene, but I loved all the rest.
Another example: you say Nancy has just started feeling bad about Barb recently, but that isn't true. We learn that she has been having regular visits with Barb's parents for the last year. Her guilt and her inability to do anything because of the NDAs is what motivates her to find an alternative way to tell Barb's parents, hence the whole tape subplot. While the love triangle was a bit poor, this part at least makes sense. Also, she goes to Murray because Barb's parents are already paying him, so he's invested in Barb's story and Nancy knows he's got experience with investigations and publicizing them, which she doesn't. Nancy's arc in this season is in continuing to refine and develop her wit, independence, and resolve. Some may see it as repetitive, but I see it as expanding/continuing season 1's arc, not repeating it.
There are other examples, but my comment is already too long.
Poor Bob. At first he was annoying to me, but mostly boring. Then he just suddenly goes along with all the insanity, which was probably a bit of a writer's crutch, but I found it funny. Then he actually contributes and I really start liking him.
And then, he gets killed off in such a stupid, avoidable way. By the way Hopper, great job not using your gun there. You could have helped. But you wanted him to die!
Sercil Yeah Bobs death was kinda lame but hopper couldn't have shot it in time. By the time he saw it, more were coming.
Always a Samwise, never a Frodo
*lip smack* what a shame ahahah your profile name fits your comment to a tee
Hopper was trying to shot the monster tho,he just didnt have time
Bob: *dies*
Hopper: *Shoulder touch to Joyce* Hey
19:18
How did you discover the plot to Stranger Things 3, 2 years before it aired? :P
WOAH
Except the opposite, instead of it being the lab, it was the russians that were the ones opening up the gate to harness its power, but damn it was still frighteningly close enough
7:15 also season 3 takes mikes original dikish attitude towards max and flips it around, now max is pissed at mike, opressumably because they never reconciled
I think Max has a legitimate reason to dislike Mike. Like you said, Mike never showed her any kindness and he lied to Eleven. Mike's dickishness was unprompted and he still hasn't learned his lesson
Just to clarify, I agree with you
@@privcraft_ i wouldnt say completely unprompted, id say he had a very human reaction to the farther of his girlfriend threatening to hurt him, what, you just gonna tell the girlfriend you care about that their dad is like that? no, youre gonna try and preserve their feelings
No one's attacking in these comments, I think most unbiased semi-critical people that watched S2 can agree that it was poorly written, especially in comparison to S1.
I'm more than semi-critical, and I found season 2 to be good. Was it perfect? No; but it was still good. "Poorly written" is subjective in the case of Stranger Things 2.
You crossing out part of what I said doesn't change my stance nor prove me wrong.
I found it to be a pastiche of the Series 1, as Foxcade said it felt undercooked, unprepared. A real sense of struggling to get it to fit together and an amping up of characters just so they weren't the characters they were in Series 1.
eh...I don't think most unbiasd semi or fully critical could agreee in that buy agee to disagree
2's my favourite still
Someone finally said it! I cant wait for a review of the new season!
@John Russell I've seen it and believe me...I know...what a disappointment!
I loved season three but the ending was awful in my opinion and sometimes it was just bad
Season 3 is so much better imo, I dont understand most of the complaints
bert bert I don’t like season three because I expected better and the ending just didn’t give me closure
@@sarahlatshaw1120 I thought that the letter at the end was such a perfect ending. Imo the ending might be the best part of the whole season
I agree completely. Should have stayed a 1S mini series. And The Duffer's should have been signed to a new up deal.
S3 Hopper pissed me off so much.
CrisC81 Agreed
They made hopper into such a wuss
lee jamie he almost chopped a guys fucking finger off
Hudman Games yeah that was awesome
lee jamie nah he was more of an alcoholic bum that acts like Rambo
:(( I would’ve been sad if it was just 1 season,, I enjoyed season 3 but yeah hopper was kind of an ass tho ngl
oh my god i think the high production values blinded me and how much i liked the first stranger things i now see the glaring designed floors. Great video keep it up!
Season 2 may not have been without flaws, but it wasn't _that_ bad. Either way, at least season 3 made up for all of it's faults.
I'd say S3 made up for most of it. There's still some issues though.
Lenny Payne it didn’t though
Except for the Mikes-an-ass problem.
@@tysimmons8694 I don't think that's a problem really he's just suppossed to be an ass
LMAO
No it didn't lol
Um, I liked 3 so much that I don’t even remember 2. Whatever anyone says, season 3 left me in bittersweet tears, and that’s never happened before. So I’ve got to say that stranger things is my favorite tv series ever (even tho the hipster part of my brain is screaming against it).
Idk about y’all-but I loved Bob in that season. I wish he woulda stayed😕
I bingewatched Stranger Thing's first season in the matter of two days and then completely dropped the second season. I've only made it halfway through your video so far but I am so happy to hear you line out the same gripes I had while watching it.
Thank you and have a great day Fox!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Dante Lundell agreed
This is a year late, but you should stomach through season 2 just so you can watch season 3. I felt like the show definitely got back on track.
@@brianfitzsimmons6074 Guess that depends on the viewer. I went into season 3 with very low expectations and still finished it with a negative opinion. It went from a mystery set in the 80s to a show constantly bashing people over the head with the 80s "nostalgia" because apparently people really love fanservice.
13:09 Max actually was, in a way, a brave girl that stands up to the monster while the boys cower in fear because while Billy (the monster) was beating Steve half to death she stuck the needle in his neck (standing up to him) while the boys were frozen in their place (cowering in fear)
I went into the second season with the same feelings as you. I questioned why we needed more from these characters when everything had been tied up extremely well.
I found the fist two episodes the hardest to watch. First of all, all of the plot around Will's visions and his suffering has no impact because we haven't been shown that he is back to normality or that he is losing an ordinary life. Essentially he has no stakes to lose.
I also found Jonathon and Nancy's relationship really irritating. I like them a lot as characters in S1, but its almost like they purposefully ignored any character growth from S1 just to reuse the same story again.
I think it was good for what it was, but next time we need something different. Different characters with a different super natural element.
Thanks for your thoughts.
"I found the fist two episodes the hardest to watch."
I stopped right in the middle of episode 1. And that is after binge watching the first season. I had the same feeling I had when trying to watch Season 2 of True Detective.
I’m interested to know what you thought of Season 3.
Really good video, surprised it doesn't too many views. With the popularity of this show it seems like people are just hesitant to criticize it. All the issues in the second season are just continued right into the third. It's sad to see a show with such heart and passion become so sterile.
i really love this video because it put into words why i was so MEH about the disappointment that is season 2 and i really hope you make a video about your thoughts on season 3
Honestly I loved Mike and Hopper's relationship (however small it may be). That moment when mike punches Hopper for hiding El was one of the strongest, if not the strongest moment in season 2 for me.
Edit: Season 3 ruined it.
@@namelessguy5491 I felt the same during the first episode. Episode 2 wasn't much better because of how he handled the situation with Hopper. Though as the season went on he did learn from and admitted his mistakes.
I have no idea why TH-cam recommended this, I've never really watched any stranger things videos on TH-cam and it's a 2 year old video, but I'm glad I did. It's been too long since I watched season 2 to really remember, but I love the video! Definitely subbing
as long as I live, I will always believe that Stranger Things should’ve been an anthology series.
Season 1 was a great contained little 80s throwback story.
Season 2 just seemed unnecessary. Fun, but unnecessary.
Season 3 has similar problems to 2, but it expands on the characters and feels like a natural progression of the kids and the story.
I can’t stop thinking how each season could’ve been a different story in a different era, etc. Similar to American Horror Story or Black Mirror, two very popular shows both known for having a variety of stories.
I still like Stranger Things as it is now, but I can’t look past that wasted potential.
The original plan was to do a different town in each season like AHS but they liked the cast so much they wanted to bring everyone back
Bridget Bonner WHAT.
I knew it, I had a feeling that they liked the cast too much to turn them away.
As someone who actively seeks out negativity I really wanted to watch this video, but to help myself better understand it I took the time to watch the first 2 seasons of Stranger Things, and thank you for accidentally introducing me to a show that I really enjoy. I had a great time watching it, and though it was not your intention I still feel the need to give thanks where it's due!
And no one even mentions the Mr. Plinkett impression. Spot on.
From Season 2 onwards, it felt like Mike had no purpose in the show and almost seems like he doesn’t work on his own without having to obsess over Eleven every episode and moping all throughout Season 2 or making his entire “arc” in Season 3 about being a good boyfriend to Eleven
Literally hadn't even finished the title, and I'm like "RIP Fox"
Yup, I'm looking forward to my channel imploding in on itself any minute now
4 seasons?! Season 3 was....a lot more disappointing than season 2, in my opinion, and again more of the same. I doubt they'll do something with Kali in season 4, as it's either gonna be disappointing to only see Kali and not any of the other numbered kids or it's gonna feel rushed as hell to only meet these numbered kids in the last season.
@GuiltyUntillProvenSober i think its because im not american, so i really couldnt find myself in the whole 4th of july thing. Hell, even in my own country i dont care for the whole "lets celebrate our country" thing.
I did like a lot of the season, dont get me wrong. Id give it a solid 7/10. But the russians felt completely extra to me, like they were just sort of thrown in. I know they did it bc in the 80s every american movie villain was a russian, but every single one of em except alexei just felt like filler to me. I cant even remember the name of the russian terminator guy, i dont think they ever even mentioned it.
I did like the whole max/eleven friendship, but i disliked how max became a total drama source all of a sudden. In the 2nd season she had a very anti-drama personality. When the boys were being weird and vague about not telling her stuff, she told them to eff off, basically. When mike was being a douchebag, she told him to eff off. Compare that to how shes super into shit stirring in the beginning of this season and it just felt wrong to me. 2nd season max wouldnt have given a shit about stirring up shit between el and mike, or flipping out at lucas for no apparent reason. Now shes telling el to spy on the boys? It just felt like a whole leap.
Other than those problems though, i genuinely enjoyed the season. I liked murray and alexei a lot, looooved the friendship between robin and steve and billy's redemption arc was genuinely touching.
But it did feel like more of the same. Problems in the friend group, problems between hop and el, will basically being a detect-o-monster and nothing else, joys love interest dying.. All happened in season 2 already. I am curious where theyll go next season now that el has seemingly lost her powers, but idk. While i enjoyed this season, it feels like they tried to emulate season 2 (and in some parts, did a better job than season 2 did, but it felt like emulating it all the same) while it couldve been so much more.
If this is why you don't like Season 2, you're going to hate Season 3
No not really, the roles of most characters have changed, Nancy is still useless and mike is still an asshole but it’s pretty alright
i didnt like season 2 but binged 3
@@bogdanshymanovski How is Nancy useless? She was the first that npticed sth was wrong and did her best trying to find an answer.
@@bogdanshymanovski If anything Jonathan is pretty useless in season 3, not Nancy. The biggest disappointment I thought was Will.
Brian Fitzsimmons he didn't do a whole lot until the end when he took charge got the ignition cable, tried to get the thing out of El, and drove the gang away from the mind flayer
Season 1 was amazing, Season 2 was kinda meh but still enjoyed it, and Season 3 was good as well but I felt like in that season everyone was getting into a relationship as if it was mandatory (LucasXMax, DustinXSuzie, ElvenXMike, HopperXWillsMom, etc) I even thought towards the end Steve and Robin would end up dating; while I liked them as a duo I’m kinda happy they stayed just as a friends because it felt more realistic. I also was wondering if they were ever going to bring back Kali (other mind power girl) back but she didn’t even get a mention and kind of the same story changed a bit; bad people are opening up the dimension and the heroes must close it so the Mind Flayer can’t destroy the world. I was hoping that maybe they would find another dimension and then discover that new environment conflicts (new antagonist) or bring in a different character that has supernatural abilities but this time keep them as a character throughout the season rather than just one episode. I just felt like there still issues in the 3rd season but I still loved it.
I feel like season 2 is DEFINITELY needed because
We wouldn’t see the importance of momma Steve.
What’s hilarious about Season 3 is that there isn’t a single mention to Kali at all
All we get is a *still frame* that lasts for *half a second*
That’s how much the creators just wanted to forget about S2 E7
I haven't finished the new season yet. 1 episode to go but I feel a lot of these things also still effect season 3. Alot of stuff and motivations are used again like it never happened. A lot of development gets thrown out of the window again.
Definitely. It feels like they added way more product placement this season, too.
@@PrometheanFlame That's more of a nitpick
Tom Diepeveen season 3 is the best season imo
@@Weird_but_neat hhhmmm eh I still think season 1 is the best. They handle the changes from light to dark somewhat better and the build up is more genuine for me in the first season. This season went from dark af to happy saturated shopping sprees hahaha. Also think the character motivations and actions are a lot clearer and thus fresher
I actually liked season 3 a lot more, while I disliked season 2
Unpopular opinion- Max and Lucas should’ve stayed as friends. I think they’re cute but I don’t see the chemistry. It seemed like Max only thinks she likes Lucas because he is the only guy who actually treats her with an ounce of respect this season.
I agree. They had no on screen romance like Mike and El. They broke up 5 times and they never told us why. She probably just got caught up in the moment at the snow ball dance. I think they should stay friends next season or show more screen time for Lumax
Season 2 is the rickety bridge to season 3.
Honestly after season 1, stranger things was written pretty badly with maybe a few exceptions with good character moments like Steve and Dustin, Mike reuniting with El, plus expanding on El's+Billy's backstory and Billy's sacrifice. Stranger things 4 only recently bought things back to almost the level of season 1's writing. With the tragedy of max and Venca's curse, along with El not being op, the mystery element from season 1 that was lacking season 2+3 and having a interesting backstory retcon or not. Oh and mike was a dick to Max, but max was also really unlikeable and rude to almost everyone in the show till like season 4.
you literally said everything that i have felt crazy for thinking about stranger things 2, and said it better than i could
Good to know i'm not the only one who felt let down, great video man!!
This video did not age well considering that season 4’s writing is way worse than season 2’s writing
Season 2 is forgettable, not that entertaining, and many mistakes (as said in the video). Season 1 is the best hands down. Season 3 is a little annoying and you see visible mistakes but it’s still enjoyable to watch and a little satisfying (in my opinion).
But you gotta appreciate Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein for their work, i mean the soundtracks and sound effects just lifts up the scenes and makes it much more powerfull to watch
Zaid gul Khan Dixon and Stein's soundtrack for season 1 was phenomenal, season 2 was about as good but introduced a terrible song for all the emotional moments called Eulogy which sounds like a dying turtle being squashed by a rock
I totally agree that S2 was just bad writing. Yikes. I would love to see your take on S3!
16:59 YES THANK YOU IVE FELT SO ANGRY ABOUT THAT SINCE IT HAPPENED. It felt so lame and unsatisfying and dumb. The character was completely unneeded and was only there to make people cry. It also complicates stuff in S3 but if you’ve watched it you’ll know how uncomfortable it feels
I hated season 2 of Stranger Things. I agree with everything you said. There wasn't much the Duffer brothers added to the story or the world. The upside down was incredibly underdeveloped in season 1 so season 2 should have expanded on it but they merely just added this mind flayer thing with absolutely no context. The real threat are the demodogs which arent as imposing or powerful as the demogorgon. I was pissed most of my viewing time after the third episode. I was uninterested, uninvested, predictable, and impatiently waiting for the story to move along. By the end, the most important plot thread, the mind flayer, is still underdeveloped. Season one wrapped the story up pretty tightly and writing future stories needed to be well thought out. I've watched the first season like 5 times and still love it. I have no desire to revist season 2 like ever. lol
Season 3 is alot better
why would they completely develop the mind flayer if he was going to be the season 3 villian?
@@ItsSupercat94 they could have had another vilain for s3...
@@Thierce That's true, but the mind flayer was made to seem like the biggest bad there is in the stranger things universe. I think it would be a waste to use him just for half a season. That's like using ultron for half a movie and then having Thanos being the villian for the other half.
@@ItsSupercat94 It doesn't matter who was supposed to be the ultimate vilain ; my point is the writers handled it badly. They should have either used two different villains for the seasons 2&3 and developp them fully within their own seasons, or have handled him better in season 2 so that he felt like more a threat, the way he did in season 3
Can you do a vid about season 3? I think they fixed the problems of season 2 as well as expanded themes and scope! It feels like the Duffer Brothers know more about were to take the characters and story.
Honestly this is how I thought about the seasons
Season 1: the cliffhanger exists but I don’t care about a sequel
Season 2: wasn’t needed and I want a sequel less now
Season 3: can not WAIT for the next, they did so much this season and it took the stuff from season 1 and added steroids to that, Murray went from one of the weakest characters to straight up having his own phone number as an Easter egg for secret dialogue
Season 3 was fucking ass dude.
Season 1: Super mysterious and even scary
Season 2: Nice character development, still a great Season
Season 3: Even more character development and still amazing
No issues with any season
doobie david every show has an issue
I'm curious if you'd be interested in doing another deconstruction of Stranger Things s3, I personally think s3 (while not perfect) was considerably better than s2 and it might be interesting to do a compare and contrast, since some of the same story beats are recycled from s2 but reworked to make them a bit stronger (ie hopper and joyce meeting murray vs. nancy and jonathan)
Season 1 was creepy, mysterious, and ominous. Season 2 was still creepy but more action packed and intense. Lastly, season 3 was more comedic with lot and of action and little scariness. Overall, I love every season and each one has its own greatness but I do think season 1 kept true to the title more.
Just u wait for season three because will does even less
Season 3 includes:
-4 separate relationship conflicts that don't add much to the story
-Will...
Touching his neck!
-a mall
-not the same plot but an even more bland and uninteresting one that adds nothing to the lore as a whole, it's just the mind flayer and he's uh
Well he's there
He's got a...friend...wait..who's the mind flayer
Anyway the gate is closed the end
The only part of season 3 that I enjoyed was Steve, Robin coming out, and Alexei
It completely failed to pull me in like the first season, towards the last few episodes I was just watching to get it over with, I wasn't invested in the ending at all
I don't agree Mike needed a cliche reconciliation scene with Max where he stops being a dick as I believe it was purposeful. He is the Alpha nerd who is a bit of a loser outside his circle raised by people in a loveless marriage. Max shook up the dynamics of his crew. His dad has a beautiful wife because he was the safe option for her out of high-school and she stays because of her kids not because she is in love with him.
11 was his undeserved prize in S1 too as she was a blank slate and he was the first person(er 2nd RIP Benny) who was ever nice to her. S3 shows that outside of the circumstances of their meeting 11 could think Mike is a loser like most of his classmates already do. Him remaining a dick sets up why Max is so quick to crap on Mike to 11 in S3. Writing this now I realize 11 staying with Mike is basically his Mom staying with his Dad.
I think his character and lack of a growth arc makes sense if we remember his father and bits of Nancy's story in S1 and how in real life growth isn't some neat and tidy process if it ever occurs. That and kids just don't grow that quickly. S1 made more sense because they were friends for a long time and clearly 11 had been through some crazy stuff. Though being fair Lucas being a dick was just as bad because it shouldn't have taken that long to be nice to her. We only excused it because he was 11.
The Duffer brothers do a poor job showing that Mike's home-life is relatively shitty but the hints are there even without S3 from Nancy's POV. Missed opportunity in S3 to show that more through the Mom's interactions with Billy. Hopefully with S4 and Mike without 11, Will, possibly Lucas&Dustin since they have other friends we'll see more of his home life, how little of a role-model his father is, and perhaps Mike unravel some especially if Will&El are doing well in their new town while he is going solo through his terrible teens.
Maybe I'm wrong but seeing how well and more realistically the older Teens are developed, especially if you contrast Mike to Nancy, I think Mike being a dick is just the Duffer Brothers setting up that in real life you don't meet the awesome love of your life in middle school and live happily ever with only a few quickly resolved hiccups along the way(not counting Cthulu problems). He's a product of his environment where his father got the sweet life being the unimpressive man he is as Nancy and Mom never defended the guy.
Or we'll get a cliche story line where Mike is the only person for 11 and they stay in touch through Dustin's Ham radio with little exploration of their character's going through realistic teenage growing pains just like they don't dive into Will's mental trauma too much. Dad stays a background character. Though both developments could happen in S4 as 15/16 is when people truly start becoming introspective and the script went there with Nancy so why not the kids as they become Adults? Also unresolved mystery behind why Max had to move.
Will and 11 not becoming extremely close due to proximity and their experiences with the upside will be a missed opportunity. As would Mike's reaction to 11 having a growing social life with boys showing interest in her and a realistic depiction of a long-distance relationship(IE they don't work and kids shouldn't force things).
Glad to hear I wasn't the only one who thought Season 2 was regurgitated Season 1 :)
Funny cause season 3 is just regurgitated season 2.
Season 1 is the best whereas season 2 is barely entertaining and season 3 has a lazy yet somehow satisfying finale. It seems to be taking a downward slide but I’m gonna continue to watch the series until it gets cancelled unlike Game Of Thrones.
7:59 that’s not entirelyyy completely true.. when Max was able to drive them to the hole for their plan to set fire to the tunnels he said it was “incredible” and she responded with “Told you. Zoomer”. While this is a super small gesture it was not on accident that it was put in the script. Afterwards there wasn’t any real hate towards Max
Natalia Vargas facts I just wish there would’ve been some sort of callback to this in season 3, like the whole scene with them trying to get out of the mall and also while they’re trying to hide was a PERFECT opportunity to put her to use because we know she’s savvy in a different way than other characters as can do things such as drive and pick locks MAX DESERVED BETTER
I loved season 1 and season 2 lost me. Now I'm just indifferent. It's the same thing without the explanations. It was a drag. I was so damn excited and left unsatisfied. I never looked up ant videos on if anyone felt how I did but watching your Resi 4 retrospective and this was recommended and I seriously thought I was the only one who didn't enjoy season 2. Wow. great video.
I just finished watching the 3 seasons for the first time. I actually quite enjoyed the first two seasons. I can agree with some of your complaints but they just didn't bother me as much while watching.
While season 1 is probably still the better overall package, the ending, in my opinion, felt almost "too perfect". It kinda bothered me that nobody except for Will has any lasting impacts from the adventure they went on. So I found it cool that they expanded on this to show that this emotionally taxing adventure did in fact leave an impact on these characters. I also found season 2's ending much more satisfying than season 1, It felt like a more well rounded ending (they literally close the gate to hell essentially) and you could leave these characters off to finally move on with their lives, which I didn't entirely buy with S1's ending.
You can see how much they absolutely hate the kids if you watch the interviews with the cast; it's hilarious
@OkSharkey lol you mean like the cast hates the kid actors?
I saw an interview where it turns out they pressured El 's actress to kiss Mike in the end scene even though she didn't really want to
Marceli Tucker-Szudra actually it was Sadie (max) who didn’t want to kiss Caleb (Lucas)...Millie (El) wanted to kiss Finn (Mike) because of how much the fans love mileven but Sadie didn’t want to kiss Caleb the duffers just added it last minute
Bridget Bonner yeah I knew it was something like that
I couldn't even finish the first episode of the third season. Such a different show than the first season.
I mean, if Joyce is happy, there would be no Stranger Things XD
yeetus to the feetus
Season 2: *Bob dies*
Season 3: *Hopper is presumed dead and leaves her house*
The only time we saw Joyce happy was when Will was saved from the Upside Down in Season 1.
Also, 'Cut the bullshit and share the bed' is litterally the best quote ever
Season 2 is the least rewatchable. I just can never being myself to see it again mostly because Eleven is basically omitted from the main group and doesnt really do much and that the characters never felt like they actually grew as people.
Fell asleep during the first episode and immediately gave up on it.
You are the voice in my head. Additionally, let’s not pretend that Episode 7 was not the writers attempt to, “Punch *some* people in the face.” Season 3 is very much the same.
Andris Paralax I know! Everyone loves it and I’m just like “why? It doesn’t even feel 80s anymore. It was clearly written for the preteen fangirls
@@EchoWinters Exactly!
It as the 80s. I was there. Mike wasn't being an asshole by being "Mildly Racist" This was how we were taught to think and believe and behave in middle America. If there was one black guy in the group, he was going to get saddled with all the black parts, if there even were any...from Lando to Winston, that's just how it was and it was very rarely questioned.
Was there bad stuff in season 2? Yes. Everything to do with "The Lost Sister" was trash and just a derailment of the series, but applying "woke" mid 2010s logic to the behavior of characters from the 80s shows you don't know WTF you're talking about.
although i do like stranger things, season 2 and 3 have felt a bit dragged out. season 2 did not bother me as much because i did enjoy a lot of the characters development (though i did have my gripes with it), but season 3 definitely felt like they kept opening up a closed book. the continuous resolutions at the ends of seasons and the reopening of the same problems has sometimes felt monotonous. there are so many wonderful things about the show that keep me watching every season, but i believe that they have disappointed me in terms of overarching plot from season to season
Seriously, either drop the supernatural element of the show after season 1, or maybe focus on a new threat. Frankly the upside down and monsters are uninspired and that was fine for season 1 since it was vague enough to be intriguing. Now it is frankly lame.
Nick Wiley i think the problem is that since we already understand the upside down, there is so much less mystery than in the first season. the audience can’t really experience the fear of the unknown, and it prevents people from keeping as much interest
Season 1 was a legit horror show. Meanwhile in Season 2 we have demogorgons turning into pets with a sense of "love/attachment", dragging it all the way down to a PG13 kid's show.
Though I enjoyed season 2, there were several valid points about the story development and character flaws that didn’t pay off. One thing that I felt was missing was the bullying from season 1 on the main cast, their misfits and not really explored again in season 2. It could have given almost a backlapse for the characters due to Eleven’s missing part in most of the season, instead they paid more attention to new characters.
i disagree with the truth getting out not having lasting effects. the reason they wanted barb’s parents to know barb was dead was because they were on a hopeless mission and about to sell their house. they were waisting tons of money and nancy knew it was for nothing. the “truth” getting out gave the family closure, and yes, justice for barb. also, the scientists do get killed off by those demodogs but those were reinforcements for those killed off by eleven in season 1. that means if the lab did not get shut down, more reinforcements could of come again. so ultimately, there were lasting effects that plot line had.
I like how Will is actually a character in season 3. They somewhat addressed Mike's attitude problem as well.
legoboy0109 Same, Will is one of my favorite characters so I was glad they didn’t just use him and some kid who needed to be saved again. My only issue is that he got barely any screen time. It would’ve been nice to see Will more and how he’s coping with everything. For me the only character building scene is when he destroyed Castle Byers (it really showed that he understood that he isn’t a kid anymore) which was super heartbreaking. Noah is a phenomenal actor and I hope we can really see more of who Will is in season 4.
This was well said and even though I do love season 2 these points definitely make me see it in a different light
Season one was really good, it had some creative moments in writing and had great character development, but there is a movie called Super 8, it’s not that well known, it’s a movie by JJ Abrams, but so much from that movie was ripped off by stranger things, and I think Super 8 is more relatable and more realistic kids, but I really enjoyed season 1 of stranger things, it was a solid 8.7/10
SEASON 2 HOWEVER (I’ll be 100%, honest, I really liked it when it first came out, but now there are so many things wrong with it)
Season 2 felt unnecessary because it just felt like a ploy to tell the fan base that eleven is alive. The monster felt pushed in and had no impact, it wasn’t even referenced in season 1, the characters felt boring and not relatable, I won’t talk about episode 7 because it sucked sooo much, the only thing I liked was the cinematography, but for a show that is praised for having amazing storytelling, no no no, I disagree, season 2 is a 5.5/10
"because it just felt like a ploy to tell the fan base that eleven is alive"
The trailers already spoiled that Eleven is alive though. So that's the fault of spoiler trailers though.
Justin Stewart I get that, but it still just felt like fan service
SEB FLYNN FILMS Super 8 and Stranger Things are both homages to the same set of 80s kids adventure and horror movies, it's inevitable that they'd have a lot of similarities
You gonna do a video for season three?
Max did do something. She drove the car (zoomer)
I loved the Hotline Miami soundtrack during the video! You did an awesome job explaining the faults of season 2 as well, very well done video!
It gets worse in ST3 (regarding plot, that is). Joyce and Hopper's arc revolves around finding out why Joyce's magnets dont function anymore. Dustin and Steve's arc's inciting incident occurs by accident. The rest of the gang's story is based on spying on other people and the spookiest thought of all... mike and el breaking up. Jonathan, Billy (as a character), Max, Will, and Lucas dont function whatsoever. Was it specified why the Russians were even harnessing the Upside Down?
Imo Season two is the best season of stranger things.
Loved season 1 and 2. HATED Season 3. Especially the constant action with no real buildup
What I didn’t understand about season 3 was how max was able to forget that El just ignored her handshake at the end of season 2.
And all of a sudden she start acting girl
Agreed.
I loved the first season so much but season 2 bored me to tears.
I actually just finished season 3 and I kept getting pulled out by all the dumb decisions they were making. At one point in the Russian underground lab, all the kids go right up to a window to look at a laser and there are just scientists walking around on the other side of the glass with the kids completely visible. In fact one scientist woman actually WALKS TOWARDS THEM in a way that there’s no way she didn’t see them and they just cut away. After like the fourth time this happened, the contrivance was too much and I stopped watching. Still have two episodes left but I have no motivation to finish it at this point.
Since season 3 is out, are you going to make a video about it?
No cause it was really well written. :/
@@datrippster7633 ha that's a lie
@KickBoxerXD i never said he couldn't have his own opinion...lmao
@@datrippster7633 excuse me.
What
Mario Galan sorry but season 3 was wonderful. But that’s just opinion. But like a lot of people’s opinion :/
Wait... what *was* Winona looking at??
Season 3 is amazing and better than 2 IMO - BUT Mike is even more of an asshole. He’s so unlikeable. He doesn’t give a shit about anyone.
Not sure how I missed this vid, maybe I didn't want anything to make my opinion about this season any worse than it already was. However, I think you nailed all the things that bothered me about this season. I knew this season bugged me somehow, but couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what it was. It's a nice job of thoughtful analysis and sound reasoning, and it makes sense without ranting. In other words, good vid man!
I just watched your Batman: AA vid, I love that game, and you nailed that one too.Btw, Dark Knight is, one of my favorite movies too, if not THE favorite.
Glad to have stumbled on to your channel, looking forward to checking out your other vids.
(Sorry for the long comment, seems you have plenty of those.😁)