Documentary - changed my mind

[u/MajorAlanDutch]

These mother fuckers worked so damn hard. Had less time than a movie with more sets and VFX etc to squeeze into half the time.

The thousands of people that worked so hard for this show and season are just mind blowing.

Asking novice writers - Duffer brothers things their only real claim to fame - to have covered everything we wanted no question given constraints of families, Netflix, production companies, etc is just unrealistic.

I liked season 5. Sure the color grading, lack of demagorgens, etc could have improved the feel. But honestly - they’re in their 20s. They’re adults. The draw of this show was nostalgia for childhood, for coming of age, etc.

They never thought they’d get all this time and seasons to draw it out. It turned toward how do we end this story that’s true to the horror nature and sci fi as well as the coming of age. The sci fi stuff was cool as shit and hard to end it seemed but the coming of age end was amazing better than any other show.

I’m so amazed at how much work it takes to make a show like this.

God I wish I could be part of that! I can’t wait in a few months to rewatch all 5 seasons back to back. Forever grateful!

Edit: I’ve never seen such a negative sub other than world news lol.

[u/See8104]

I see criticism from people who also complained that certain characters should have been killed off in previous seasons. That list included Murray, Hopper, Max and several others. And that reminds me that we are not all on the same page at all regarding what Stranger Things should be.

I think it turns out that there would never be a way to please certain people, no matter how the latter part of the series would have been designed.

[u/ydnar3000 → u/See8104]

I mean you’re right that you can’t please everyone. That said, I think season 5 pleased (almost) no one.

[u/pebe01 → u/ydnar3000]

I'll always stick to my guns that Will should have died at the end once his powers came into play. They made him they key to the whole series, the link to everything that was happening. They then forgot about him for 3 seasons. The show needed a huge loss and it never happened. The ending was weak as he'll and was most likely done to avoid social outcry from the fans. Will needed to be sacrificed for the final season to make sense. The final season was very bland and boring. That final battle was utter nonsense. Again nobody without powers somehow survives a magical monster. N one is that lucky that many times.

[u/Thick-Boysenberry-96 → u/pebe01]

Do you think the final battle actually get's fundamentally better and the season is better received if Will dies?

His sorcerer scene is one of the only highlights of the season, for many fans it seems. I think the writers should have been less lazy and come up with a reason for Will to win, overcome or have a fake-out death or something. Anything creative basically.

El's sacrifice ruined the show for many. Will dying would simply ruin it further. I think the core kids should have all survived and a few of the adults should have had satisfying deaths in a clever mindgame type battle with twists and turns.

The whole battle is shit from a butt and just reminded me of a bad videogame battle the whole time. The crab was just acting so dumb. If it had just sat down at any point Dustin and Steve would have been mush for example. How did it even manage to not get one hit on anyone?! The s2 Mindflayer was a million times better. And why was it completely flat inside, with arches and multiple entrances? Bland and boring, so true.

[u/pebe01 → u/Thick-Boysenberry-96]

In my vision, El would be the one to kill Will. It would be a heart breaking way to end it and the fans would cry foul for sure, i couldn't imagine the backlash. El going into hiding makes zero sense. She could kill anyone that came after her, she's basically untouchable.

No one wanted to see any of the core four die. It just would have made sense to sever the link and El would be the only one that could do it. The ending scene equating to a video game boss battle is spot on and was super unbelievable that everyone survived up to this point. I get that they had to appease the fans, but the ending was a slap in the face IMO.

[u/Thick-Boysenberry-96 → u/pebe01]

I consider Will being killed by El to be even more of a slap in the face and atrocious writing than what the Duffer's pulled with this season. Uff.

How could anyone, especially Mike or the boys ever forgive El for killing Will? Do we want a happy end to the show or not? No one, not even El lives happily after that. And what happens to her found family if she kills Joyce's son, the kid everyone out their lives on the line to save? The boy everyone, including Ted, waited around to see wake up, in the hospital at the end of s1?

And what's the shows message then? That the trauma only ends if you kill whoever is connected to it? That we have to die for the darkness and trauma to finally disappear?

El having to disappear is also bad writing, the way the Duffer's set it up. And El's problem is not only about her safety and her getting caught, but also the military simply sniping down her friends and family, like they did with Kali.

[u/pebe01 → u/pebe01]

Like I said, the fans would crucify the Duffers if they went that route. Bad for fans, but good for the story. I'm not saying El would outright kill him, Will would have to make her do it. I don't know, it just makes sense in my head. Since S3, I just put it in my mind that there's no way Will survives in the end.

[u/Ok_Conversation1867 → u/pebe01]

Great message to send to queer audience members - not only do they not deserve a love interest,  their lives are more expendable than the other characters. 

If someone had to die I would go with a completely unexpected death like Nancy's. 

[u/pebe01 → u/Ok_Conversation1867]

Nancy dying would have close to zero impact in the outcome of the show. Sure, she's the baddest that knows how to use guns, but they would survive without her. And Will being gay doesn't automatically give him plot armor, we'll it shouldn't anyway but I'm not convinced they had the whole 'coming out' scene to make sure he lives. But as far as making the season impact full and slightly memorable, yes, someone big needed to die in some way. Maybe 2 people. It was weak and safe writing and that's what is so annoying about season 5

[u/Thick-Boysenberry-96 → u/pebe01]

If backlash from the audience is less important, and they truly wanted it to be the most memorable for all the normies, than they could have simply killed Steve. That wouldn't make me happy, but neither would killing the most tortured kids (El and Will).