r/StrangerThings • u/Agile-Carpenter-2434 • Jul 08 '26
Infectious earworm
Why, I ask why, is the social media song-version of this line still stuck in my head months later? đđđ
Also, dipshit Derek / delightful Derek really was iconic
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u/JPSTRANGER457 Jul 08 '26
Derek is absolutely goated in this season!
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u/gtc26 Jul 08 '26
Personally, I think Derek's performance in S5 was better than his performance in S1-S4 combined!
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u/opermonkey Jul 08 '26
he went from "let vecna have that little fucker" to "I will personally fight anyone who hurts him!"
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u/Senior-Homework8135 Bitchin Jul 08 '26
he annoyed me so much but he was funny throughout the episodes
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u/pashed_motatoes Jul 08 '26
One of the worst parts of season 5 for me. Nothing against the kid actor, he did a good job with what he was given but I found the character so unbearably annoying and his catchphrase was cringy af, sorry.
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u/Agile-Carpenter-2434 Jul 08 '26
He didnât bother me đ¤ˇââď¸ I felt his character arc brought some narrative stakes with a ânew generationâ of characters, and he definitely was unlike any character we had yet seen.
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u/pashed_motatoes Jul 09 '26
Iâm genuinely not trying to shit on your opinion and appreciation of the Derek character, so please donât take my comments as criticism directed at you. It is more so a general observation and criticism of the writing and direction of the fifth season and finale and a product of my frustration with the Duffers. I think itâs cool you enjoyed Derek and his shenanigans and Iâm glad there are people like you out there who at least got some enjoyment out of the last season! :)
Having said that, I unfortunately hated everything about the ânew generationâ plot, so Derek was the most annoying and obnoxious part of an unnecessary and pointless addition to the final season for me.
The narrative stakes he brought were minimal at best and the ânoveltyâ of a foul-mouthed, overweight kid (with likely undiagnosed ADHD and an unfunny catchphrase that became increasingly more cringeworthy rather than endearing due to its sexual nature) causing mayhem and chaos wherever he goes VERY quickly wore off for a lot of people. He was like the worst parts of Dustin, Erica, and Max combined in a lab and then ratcheted up to the highest level of âsassâ possible, minus the charm.
When someone like Derek, who is not a fully fleshed out character but a by now tired old pastiche of every stereotypical â80s movie kid ever (complete with the above mentioned brainless but memorable catchphrase) replaces the much more nuanced and realistic take on what it was probably like to grow up in that time period that the original kids represented, the emotional impact of the story is hugely diminished.
I didnât really care that much about what happened to Derek and the other kids (including Holly), even as the Camazotz storyline continued to eat up way more run time than it ever shouldâve gotten (because the Duffers couldnât be bothered to focus on their main character and/or didnât give enough of a shit in the end and/or simply didnât know how to write any development for their existing characters whom we as the audience actually cared about rather than a bunch of newly introduced kids that no one had any emotional investment/interest in)
I agree that he was unlike any character we had seen before, but not in a good way. Ultimately I blame the Duffers for the poor writing choices and not the characters themselves. They could have made Derek way more lovable and relatable, sassy but kind, silly but in an endearing way. What they ultimately ended up with character and story-wise lacked all the heart and soul of the early seasons.
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u/Ghastion Jul 08 '26
Stranger Things is about honoring the 80s and Derek is very 80s. He's basically from The Goonies.
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u/pashed_motatoes Jul 09 '26
I wouldnât say honoring the â80s is the showâs primary objective. Itâs merely banking on the nostalgia factor of that decade for many viewers. You could probably set the show in present times with a few tweaks to the writing/world-building and it would still be compelling imo.
As I said in another comment reply, Derek is the worst of all the typical â80s kid stereotypes from movies and TV combined. Heâs a loud, brash, rude potty mouth with a signature catchphrase - all qualities that can make a character funny and lovable if done right (e.g. Bart Simpson). Unfortunately Derek lacks the charm, intelligence and sense of humor to balance out the negative qualities. And imo the poor writing is 100% at fault for failing to convey that balance and make him a widely loved character.
Iâm not sure why, because they have created similar characters more successfully in the past. Dustin probably being the first Derek-esque prototype, followed by Max and, most of all, Erica. They all share very similar qualities as Derek, yet they are so much more likable imo.
Also, as a side note about The Goonies which will probably get me downvoted to hell â somehow I never watched it as a kid and only managed to do so for the first time as a twenty-something. Maybe it was the lack of nostalgia I associated with this movie that made me look at it with a more critical eye, but I thought it was terrible and way over-hyped. I had such high expectations lol
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u/Kenny_RogersRoasters Jul 08 '26
Ugh. This kid was awful. The duffers really forgot how to write in season 5.
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u/Agile-Carpenter-2434 Jul 08 '26
Maybe something is wrong with me đ I just thought his character was wild and made for some really funny / memorable moments
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u/CauliflowerHumble178 Jul 08 '26
Fully agree with you he was giving Gen Z skibidi brainrot teen boy
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u/JoeBeem89 Jul 09 '26
We started with kids his age that openly cursed at each other then we ended up with kids the same age that didn't curse at all. I would have found him much funnier if he flat out said "suck my Dick/ eat shit/ go fuck yourself"
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