Another Stranger List

I loved Stranger Things 5. It’s strange saying that, but this season’s divisive amongst fans. While nowhere near the previous season’s quality, with messier writing, it hits enough high points to be an overall success. And what better way to pay tribute than a list? Let’s do that.

By the way, there’ll be spoilers. Also, remember that this is subjective.

15. Eleven reunites with Kali/Eight:

Kali’s always been one of the show’s weakest links. I’ve never hated her, but even I admit that her episode in Season 2 was a low point. So when Episode 4 of Season 5 revealed she was alive, I was intrigued and confused. Intrigued because I’d always hoped the Duffers would bring her back, and confused because why now?

Perhaps what made this work is that it was teased for all of Volume 1: the military has a secret plan with The Upside Down? How are they going to pull it off? How will they get past Vecna? The show initially has us think they’d captured Vecna, but after Hopper (unsuccessfully) makes a suicide run, it’s revealed that Kali’s been the Ace in the hole. After three seasons with no pay-off, Eleven and Kali have reunited. It’s sweet to watch.

It also minimizes how Hopper was planning to kill himself, to Eleven’s dismay. This is someone thought dead in Season 3, only to be captured by The Soviets and shipped to Siberia. Once Joyce and Murray found him, he went back and risked his life to fight a Demogorgon. This was the third time, therefore, that the show teased Hopper’s death and not pulled the trigger. Thank goodness he had a valid reason for his suicide attempt, or I wouldn’t have included this. I say that knowing it had a satisfying payoff.

14. Robin’s opening exposition:

I wasn’t sure about this one at first. Not only is it a radio broadcast, but there’s nothing special about it. Even the gags Steve throws in don’t add much other than cut the tension. But then I thought about it. And after some consideration, I figured it was worth mentioning. How else could a show have a recap of the previous season’s ending? This was the answer.

There’s little to talk about on a deeper level. It’s basically Robin catching everyone up to speed. However, from the way Robin sets everything up, to having it set to “Rockin’ Robin”, to even Steve’s gag timing, there isn’t anything I’d prefer. Especially since it’d been three years since the previous season, and some of us were rusty. I don’t see this working otherwise.

Robin ends her monologue by alluding to her romantic partner, who’s revealed to be Vicky driving to work. Stranger Things made good on Robin being with Vicky, something hinted at in the previous season. It’s a subtle moment, but it’s still effective. It’s also sweet. Robin deserves some romance after the nightmare she’s endured, even if being a lesbian was risky.

13. Tom, Dick and Harry:

Leave it Robin Buckley to reference The Great Escape during a tense moment. While trying to figure out how to rescue Vecna’s targets, Robin formulates a plan through one of her favourite movies. She speaks of the three tunnels in that movie, named “Tom, Dick and Harry”. Settling on Dick, the tunnel in the washroom, the group hatches a scheme involving Derek Turnbow and a ruse no one inside the barracks would figure out. Or, at least, they hope no one inside the barracks would figure out…

It’s no surprise this plan backfires, as the bathroom starts flooding thanks to a valve breaking. However, it’s solid in theory, and it leads to some really great innuendos. Considering the table read, that Lucas and Robin’s actors could perform their lines with sincerity is a testament to their talent. That, and it allows the audience to laugh instead. I know I did.

It’s also genuinely well-executed and suspenseful. There’s not much going on, Derek leads a meditation session and signals for the individual kids to leave, but it weaves ridiculousness with logic. It also, as I said, fails spectacularly, like the movie it’s referencing. Plus, Mike saying “Mr. Whatsit?” while stopping a leaking pipe? That’s the cherry on top.

12. Mr. Whatsit’s reveal:

If you’ll recall in my ranking of Stranger Things 4, Vecna being Henry Creel and One simultaneously was a genuine highlight. Mr. Whatsit being revealed as Henry/Vecna, while not as powerful, was still well-executed. Especially since it’s shown from two perspectives: Mike and Nancy, and Will and Robin. That both groups come to the same realization, albeit in different ways, makes this reveal creepy and unnerving. It’s also a fun way to bring Vecna back, especially considering his defeat prior. If you can’t do grandiose, go personal.

What makes this unsettling is that, while predictable, there’s nothing anyone can do it in the moment. Karen can only communicate by writing down what she knows, and Holly being freshly kidnapped is stressing her out. Will knows he can tap into Vecna’s thoughts, but he can’t determine where he’s keeping Holly. So while both groups piece this together quickly, their helplessness makes it dramatic and tense. This is also great writing.

I want to remind everyone that being predictable isn’t necessarily bad. Not every surprise in storytelling is good, and sometimes simple reveals are effective. Besides, we knew Vecna was going to return at some point. Why else would he have left no trace after being blasted out of his hideout by Steve, Robin and Nancy? Think about it.

11. Dustin honours Eddie:

The epilogue, which evokes Lord of the Rings, has been criticized for feeling overly-sentimental. I disagree, though I get where the complaints are coming from. This show has amassed a massive roster of characters, and they all needed their arcs concluded. The epilogue might be long, but it works. Between Hopper proposing to Joyce and the older kids having a moment before going their own ways, there’s plenty worth talking about. One moment even pays off Dustin’s arc while honouring Eddie.

It was inevitable that Dustin would honour Eddie. However, the way he does it was perfect. Eddie hated school, and he impacted on Dustin. Conversely, Dustin, who was clearly mourning his death, felt he had to provide closure for an innocent man. By accepting his diploma like this, Dustin made sure Eddie’s sacrifice meant something.

Also, it’s really funny. Not only is it cathartic for Dustin, it earns him cheers from not only his friends, but also the rest of the graduating class. As someone who’s never liked graduation ceremonies, it’s also an amusing twist on the clichéd valedictorian speech. Let’s face it, they’re boring. Necessary, but boring. By giving Eddie Munson the last laugh, Dustin made the valedictorian speech interesting. Also, Dustin’s such a dweeb!

10. Nancy and Jonathan break up:

People routinely criticize Volume 2 of Season 5. Perhaps the biggest critique is “having nothing going on”. This ignores how some of the season’s best moments happen here, such that I’m including a few on this list. What better way to kick it off than one of the best? Let’s discuss Nancy Jonathan’s breakup. Because it’s beautiful and sad.

After Nancy accidentally creates a sinkhole she and Jonathan wake up in, the two realize they may drown in goo. Initially, they call for help. When that doesn’t work, they accept their fate. They then begin listing confessions they’d been keeping secret, culminating in Jonathan whipping out an engagement ring, announcing their breakup and tossing it aside. It’s sad, but it shows a great deal of maturity that they realize they weren’t meant to be together.

They do end up surviving in the end, thanks to Steve and Dustin rescuing them. But it’s an effective, amicable breakup. Nancy and Jonathan could’ve ended up like Nancy’s parents, trapped in a dead-end marriage held together by their children. They could’ve also ended up like Jonathan’s parents, divorced and bitter. Considering how their relationship was built on trauma, it couldn’t have lasted anyway. That’s why they decided to end it.

9. “I can’t lose you too!”:

While we’re on the subject of reconciliation, Dustin and Steve have a beautiful moment that people overlook. Having been at odds since Eddie’s death, the two of them engaged in a physical fight earlier on. So when Steve grabs a rickety ladder to rescue Nancy and Jonathan, despite the ground being unstable, Dustin cracks and says he can’t let Steve die too. His moment of vulnerability saves Steve’s life, as the ladder plan doesn’t end up working. Cue the relief over Steve making it out alive.

I know Stranger Things has a reputation of not killing off its main cast, such that it’s become a running joke. However, Steve dying here would’ve felt cheap. Not only is his death avoidable, it would’ve lent to additional trauma for Dustin. Besides, it allows Dustin to finally appreciate how much Steve means to him. That’s sweet.

Think about how lame it’d be if Steve fell to his death. I know the cast of this show is massive, but Steve Harrington, the guy whose breakup with Nancy led him on a path of positive growth, dying here would’ve pissed people off. This is someone who also helped Robin become comfortable with her sexuality, leading to her relationship with Vicky. Steve might be a softie, but he’s a loveable softie who deserves better. Is a cheap death what people want? I don’t.

8. “Eat your damn pie.”:

The best decision Season 3 made, aside from introducing Robin, was upgrading Erica Sinclair to main character status. She now not only got to be sassy, she got to be sassy while having depth. This made her funnier, as she had actual material to work with. This is apparent in her best moment in Season 5, where she helps drug the Turnbow family. I promise this is better than it sounds...

What makes this moment great is that not only does Erica show off her sass, she also shows off her menace. From the moment she walks in the Turnbow residence to “reconcile” with Tina, making amends with a pie, it’s clear this is going to be funny. And it is. Especially when the Turnbows pass out from the tranquilizer serum in the pie, which Erica pretends to eat while arguing with Tina. Unfortunately, that creates a problem, as Tina’s refusing to eat the pie. And she freaks out, insisting that Erica call 9-1-1.

In arguably the funniest moment, Erica whips out a needle with leftover tranquilizer, removes the cap, utters a one-liner and proceeds to stab Tina with it. Tina’s scream, eerily reminiscent of a Sam Raimi movie, would make anyone piss their pants with laughter. Yes, it’s horrific, and it makes Erica look evil. But who cares? I don’t!

7. “Goodbye Mike.”:

In the season’s saddest moment, there’s this. It was apparent that Eleven wasn’t going to survive to the end, but it was still a shock. She’d been through so much, having been robbed of a proper childhood because of her powers. That she couldn’t catch a break in her last moments is a serious gut-punch. I feel bad for Mike, as this is the second time he’s been torn away from Eleven. Both times, it was against his will.

There’s a lot about this that makes me emotional. Eleven lets Mike into her mind one last time before ejecting him, sharing her true feelings. Mike doesn’t understand why Eleven’s sacrificing herself, further adding to the heartbreak. “Purple Rain” plays in the background, alluding to Eleven’s favourite colour and how Mike found her all those years ago. And Hopper witnesses losing his adopted daughter, adding to the death of his biological daughter.

But what drives this home is how it parallels Season 1: Eleven makes the decision to sacrifice herself. Mike tries stopping her. Eleven shoves him aside for his own protection. All this while Mike watches in horror. If that’s not a fitting end, I don’t know what is.

6. Joyce beheads Vecna:

Joyce is a great character. She not only proactive from the start, she’s an unsung heroine. She’s also proven herself capable physically when necessary, even flying with Murray to Siberia to rescue Hopper. And all this, to paraphrase Will, while only being 5’3”. Moms, right?

Joyce, fittingly, also gets the final blow against Vecna. After Eleven and Will leave him impaled and with a missing arm, Vecna’s bleeding out. With one of the show’s best one-liners, Joyce grabs her axe and starts hacking away at his head, until it comes off. All the while, we see flashes of trauma the other characters have experienced at his hands. It’s gory, and excessive.

And yet, it’s also satisfying? Vecna getting beheaded by Joyce is one of the most cathartic moments this season, let-alone this show. It might be extreme, especially since Vecna was vulnerable, but do I blame Joyce? Not really. She deserves that closure.

5. Will the Sorcerer:

Poor Will. Initially abducted by Vecna, he’s been subjected to The Mind Flayer’s relentless torment. He’s witnessed people die, he’s been used as a spy and he’s been marginalized because he “came back from the dead”. And now he’s now being exploited by Vecna once again, this time to help him extract children. In any other situation, he’d have justification for going postal.

Despite this, Will has one of the season’s biggest clap out loud moments. After Vecna wipes out the military and captures his children, he sends Demogorgons to kill Will’s friends. They’re pretty close, and everything looks bleak. Could this be it? Is everything for naught? Not quite.

In a surprise turn, Will siphons some of Vecna’s power to wipe out the Demogorgons. And not only wipe them out, but violently. He holds them up with telekinesis, snaps their bones and leaves them to bleed. He then wipes the blood from his nose. It’s a great pay-off to his entire character arc, and it’s applause-worthy. Bravo!

4. Will’s coming out scene:

Speaking of Will, I should address the elephant in the room. Will being gay isn’t a surprise to anyone who’s paid attention, but now it’s officially confirmed. And in front of Will’s friends and family. Considering that coming out was a huge risk in the 80s, to admit something so personal is really brave. Doubly-so since it could’ve backfired.

I know much of the internet takes issue with this, but I don’t care. This was a raw, honest moment. It helps that Will’s real-life actor’s gay, so there’s a personal element here. But outside of that, for everyone to be accepting makes the reveal special. Because coming out isn’t easy. Robin, who came out to Steve in Season 3, understood that best, hence why she cries.

One of the more even-tempered critiques is that Will’s reveal should’ve drawn pushback from the other characters. I disagree. That would’ve made sense in an earlier season, but not here. Considering the danger and trauma the cast has endured, them not accepting Will would be a cop-out. It also wouldn’t be satisfying. Besides, what good would that do, other than appease some awful people?

3. Karen VS the Demogorgon:

If Season 4 of Stranger Things reminded us that you don’t mess with Nancy Wheeler, Season 5 reminded us that you don’t mess with Karen Wheeler. She’s always been a back-up player, but Episode 2 showed that Karen in a nightgown and half-drunk can do major damage. Nowhere is this more-apparent than when she takes on a Demogorgon with a broken wine bottle. It’s a great moment that shows what Karen’s capable of, and while it doesn’t pan out, she puts up a real fight. The Demogorgon even has to play dirty to gain the upper-hand.

There’s a lot here that makes it memorable: Karen being wet, drunk and ready to skin the Demogorgon? Check. The Demogorgon not realizing what it’s up against? Check. Karen delivering heavy blows in slow-motion? Check, check, check!

I should also give credit to Ted Wheeler. Yes, his presence has mostly been window dressing. Yes, he barely does anything. And yes, he gets taken out by the Demogorgon easily. But he tries, even landing a blow with his golf club. If all else, his fight shows that he cares!

2. Karen in the hospital:

On the subject of Karen Wheeler, she gets her heroic moment in Episode 6. After Vecna sends Demodogs to capture Max, the show pays homage to Jurassic Park’s “raptors in the kitchen” scene. It’s nerve-wracking because Lucas is in a bind: does he keep the radio on and wake up Max, even if it means signalling where he, Max, Vicky and Robin are hiding? Or does he turn the radio off, but lose Max again? It’s a genuinely tense situation, and it ends up not mattering because the laundry room has mirrors on the ceiling.

Fortunately, one of the dryers turns on and starts buzzing. This draws the Demodogs toward it, and we see an Oxygen tank bouncing around. After several clicks, it explodes and blows them to pieces. Some smoke emanates, and we see someone grunting and limping. It’s Karen. Cue the applause.

I started clapping when this happened. Karen might be stuck in a dead-end marriage, but she’s as capable as anyone else. It’s not only a great moment, especially since it’s unexpected, but it shows that Nancy, Mike and Holly get their fighting spirit from her. Kudos for making this a genuine highlight, Duffers! Can someone give Karen a spin-off show?

1. The kids reflect:

Remember how I mentioned Dustin’s speech as one of the epilogue’s major highlights? This is the other one. It’s also where the show ends, and, like the other highlights in the finale, it’s bittersweet. Maybe not as sad as Eleven saying goodbye to Mike, but it got me choked up. It’s basically the show ending like it started: with Dungeons and Dragons.

There’s a lot that makes this effective. Like how Max is finally involved in the campaign. Or how Mike, Will, Lucas and Dustin are together again in Mike’s basement. Or how the conclusion of the campaign involves Mike alluding to an alternate scenario for Eleven. Or even how Mike passes the torch to Holly and her friends, signifying a new era. It’s sappy, but it drives home the messages about hope and the power of belief.

I won’t speculate whether or not Eleven survived. That’s not the goal here, and I wouldn’t do it justice. However, I think it speaks to the strength of hope. Hope might be cope, but it’s quite powerful. When you choose to believe in something better, as unrealistic as it might seem, that speaks volumes. Especially when we could use hope in dark times. But I digress.

That about does it. Feel free to share your favourite moments, and I’ll see you next time!

Bigger, Bolder, Better?

I’ve been holding off discussing the finale of Stranger Things for a few days. Not only because I’ve needed to process it, but also the discussion surrounding it has been irritating. Not only have people been projecting their insecurities, but it feels like many people online lack film literacy skills. Perhaps that’s being harsh, but here are some major complaints that rubbed me the wrong way. There’ll be spoilers:

“It’s not scary anymore!”

Define “not scary”. What constitutes as “horror” varies from person to person. I find dreams about not finishing university scary. I get them frequently, and they make me uneasy because part of me still feels like I rushed through my 6 years and didn’t put in the proper effort. I don’t wake up in cold sweats, but that doesn’t mean that being in a school with an unfinished assignment doesn’t put me on edge.

Horror’s hard to pull off. It’s one of the hardest genres, as you have to tap into common fears while grounding your characters and worlds dramatically. That’s a mastery of two genres, and even seasoned pros struggle with balancing the two aspects. It’s true that many classic horror stories were made cheaply, but they also became big from a combination of accidental success and working with insane challenges. If you want proof, look at Jaws.

When people claim that Stranger Things isn’t scary now, I think they’re lamenting how it ran for close to 10 years, and how much of its core audience aged and moved on. As someone who was 26 years old when it started, a lot has happened to me personally since then: I became an uncle, my younger brother got married, my Zaidy died and I went in-and-out of jobs. The only constants were that I’m a courier, and that I live with my parents. Oh, and this blog.

9 years is a long time for a show. Considering Stranger Things became an accidental, overnight success, it was inevitable that expectations would be high. So I get how people would feel like it’d stop “being scary” eventually. But I disagree, as fear is subjective. And since my issue with the first season involves being unable to see the big baddie half the time, thanks to piss-poor lighting and budget limitations, later seasons might actually be scarier. Because I can see what everyone’s up against now.

“The cast has gotten too big!”

This is a common complaint that people throw out. I get it: the show started with a small cast, and later seasons added to that. Factor in Season 2 beginning the trend of introducing a new character that’s killed in the finale, it feels like the Duffers were adding too many people. It was Game of Thrones all over, except with an original project. So yes, there’s potential for bloat.

Nevertheless, I think adding more characters has been an asset. Contrary to popular opinion, Stranger Things wasn’t meant to be a one-off. The Duffers made it clear that they were planning several seasons, and it was inevitable that recurring side-characters would get upgraded over time. That Erica, first introduced in Season 2 as Lucas’s bratty younger sister, became part of the main cast in Season 3 was beneficial to her development, as she’s less-irritating now. This is also true for Holly, who up until Season 5 was simply Mike and Nancy’s little sister.

As for the not killing off characters, I’m not sympathetic here. Not only is Stranger Things not Game of Thrones, but it should never be Game of Thrones. That show had plenty of deaths, but it was also shamelessly violent and edgy. Plus, it went off-the-rails in its final season, as it ran out of books to adapt. By having Stranger Things keep its roster intact over 5 seasons, the writers got to explore different pair-ups and dynamics. It’s not like Steve and Nancy was the same as Steve and Dustin.

Besides, senseless deaths don’t always mean good storytelling. Having seen many classic 80s films, I assure you not all of them, even horror films, were needlessly gory. Much of the drama came from elevating grief, family trauma and personal insecurities boiling over through tension and stress, something this show has captured successfully. None of this could’ve happened without the cast being recurring.

“The show has gotten too big!”

I can see this complaint, and I’d be lying if I said I disagreed. When you consider later seasons, especially compared to earlier ones, it’s easy to see this. Especially since in-between Seasons 3 and 4 there was a pandemic, and in-between Seasons 4 and 5 there were two strikes. The passage of time marches on without Stranger Things getting bigger with each season. That said, I don’t agree with this complaint. Why?

Because Seasons 4 and 5 had more story to tell. Season 4 in particular ventured outside Hawkins and focused on California and Soviet Russia. Because the world is bigger than a small town in Indiana, it was inevitable. Season 5 may not have been as big in narrative scope, but it felt it in emotional scope. That alone justified longer episodes.

Outside of that, a show getting “too big” isn’t really its fault. Considering Stranger Things’s biggest crime was becoming popular, it was bound to happen. After all, it has a fanbase! A passionate, loud fanbase! Why not embrace that? I would!

I watched a video on Season 4 recently that mentioned Stephen King and his rule about cutting 10% of your story. It’s ironic, since his stories are often way too long-winded, but the point rings true as a writer myself. However, is it possible that this show did that? It’s easy to complain, but harder to write. And as we’ve seen with Chris Stuckmann and Shelby Oaks, it’s especially easy to complain about horror if you’ve never dabbled in it. Something to think about.

“Season 5 dropped the ball!”

My last issue involves the actual finale. I think people were projecting their own expectations here, and that’s unfair. Especially with the gross backlash surrounding Will coming out moment, a revelation that wasn’t shocking to anyone paying attention to Will’s character trajectory. Considering how difficult it was to be gay in the 80s, Will took a risk by coming out to his friends and family. That they were accepting speaks not only to their growth, but also to how attached they are to Will.

Outside of that, little moments being harshly-criticized seem completely disconnected from reality. Nancy and Jonathan breaking up is an amicable separation that happens when people love each other, but know their relationship is unhealthy. Dustin and Steve reconciling their friendship, while corny, was equally powerful. And yes, some of Volume 2 of Season 5 was slow, no doubt. But that doesn’t make it not interesting or impactful. Not everything has to be in-your-face action, especially with character growth.

As for the big battle feeling “like a Marvel movie”, I’m unsure what people expected. This wasn’t only built up to, but dragging it out would’ve ruined it. So it wasn’t. Even the fight with Vecna followed the rule set by The Incredibles: if you don’t need to extend your action scene to make your point, don’t. Like how most of that movie’s action set-pieces were a few minutes long, yet were effective, so too was the fight with Vecna. Especially since Vecna, for all his creepiness, was a pathetic man-baby.

Outside that, I don’t know what else to say. People have been making this season out as another Game of Thrones or Dexter, and think that cheapens the character writing and plot beats. Is it as good as Season 4? No. But it’s also not the disaster detractors have been making it to be. And it’ll age well because of what it did right, which is be satisfying.

So yes, that’s my take. Expect another ranking list soon, assuming nothing goes wrong here.