Yeah, this is me, too. It’s obvious how derivative it all is, but it still worked like hell for me. I loved it.
I think the girl who played 11 was excellent. A lesser performance in that role and this would not have been as effective.
The other three kids got annoying at times, but… real kids are annoying at times. I liked the older sister and brother, too, and I liked how all the ‘good’ characters came together before the final fight. I think the characters were well-developed. I cared about them and was invested in what happened to them.
The ending leaves things wide open. If there is another season, I’d definitely tune in to see if the creators can capture the same magic again.
Ditto. I’m five episodes deep right now, and looking forward to watching the rest. I can usually take or leave kid-centric shows now that I’m at an age where I identify more with the parents, but I like this group of kids. According to the IMDb, the kid playing Mike will be playing Richie Tozier in the upcoming It remake, and I’m looking forward to seeing that.
However, seeing Matthew Modine with white hair made me realize that I somehow got old. A little investigation shows that I am still younger than Winona Ryder, but still … I don’t get to fantasize about being one of the Goonies anymore.
Loved it. Each episode somehow seemed to be better than the one before it. I don’t tend to like kids either in shows/movies but I thought these kids did a great job.
One of the things I’m wondering about: the hatched egg (?) that Chief Hopper saw in the Upside Down. I guess it could have been where the big slug thing came from that they pulled out of Will, or the one that was in Barb. But it could be something else–another ‘demogorgon’ perhaps?
Watched this over the last week, and I really enjoyed it. Having some time tested tropes didn’t bother me in the least. It was really well made TV IMO.
Funny anecdote, I’ve been playing D&D for over 20 years, and a bit of this show made me realise I’m an unrepentant nerd. In the scene in the first episode with boys playing D&D, and them screaming for Will to fireball Demogorgon, my main though was, don’t do that, it’s a waste of time, he’s immune to fire.
Same here. That and the Thessalhydra. If they were playing ‘by the book’, then the show was completely inaccurate to how the game is played. It’s clear that the boys are shameless twinkers, probably packing one of each 1st edition artifact (Wand of Orcus, Hand of Vecna, etc) for their 112th level Thief/Magic-users. I recall having a DM buddy that let me teleport right over Odin’s neck so I could backstab-bonus with Blackrazer…ah, those were the days.
It seems to me that what people are calling kind of derisively “derivative” are really just the homages.
This is how I see it-
The kids trying to escape the Government on bikes is an homage to E.T… if Eleven had caused them to fly as the means of escape–derivative of E.T.
I never played D&D but I played other games–how strict is D&D in the way of gameplay? Like what was exactly off about it?
Seems like the strength of roleplaying games is you are given a framework and the DM/GM build off of that.
When you use the “Fireball” spell, you don’t roll a D20, the target of the spell does (a “saving throw”). They changed all that so it was easier for the non-D&D player audience to understand.
Got as far as episode 4. I am liking it so far, though not out-and-out LOVING it.
As someone who was an adolescent/young teenaged geek in 1983, I’d say they got a lot of the period details right. And the early 80s are not a time period given to much nostalgic reappraisal like the '60s or '70s, so that’s interesting.
Curiously, although Winona Ryder was one of the main reasons I started watching this show, I think she’s the least interesting thing about it. Her character is screechy and one-dimensional, and (sadly) I don’t think her performance helps – she was verging on “over the top” when she first appears onscreen, before she even knew her son was missing, and has only gotten shriller since. (Sigh.) My favorite character is the Sheriff, followed by the double-jointed kid with no teeth. (Haven’t yet memorized their names – Lol.)
It’s not original by any stretch, but I am interested in seeing what happens. I just wish the nerdy girl with the glasses got to live at least a little bit longer…
It’s inflaming my immune system. I’m halfway through and the only non-annoying character was shot 10 minutes after he was introduced. I’d like to say there wasn’t a single original idea in the story, but then toward the end of the 4th episode the sheriff found a handful of white fluff in an interesting place.
Even so, I might continue since it’s just 8 episodes. But I’m muting it a lot (painful dialog from characters doing dumb stuff).
Surprised no one mentioned the posters of Jaws and The Thing. More homages. And Poltergeist with the lights and Mom “that’s it, baby!” There are a few sites/articles listing all the easter eggs.
I liked it but didn’t love it; thought it was probably two episodes too long. I thought it telegraphed a lot of what it was doing well in advance and ended pretty much exactly how I thought it would.
The 80s feel was spot-on though, right down to the title screen, and I liked the fact it consciously seemed to be avoiding a deliberate nostalgia trip - I didn’t notice anything really glaring like “Hey, here’s Michael Jackson as a black guy! And he’s drinking Pepsi! Also, here’s the Space Shuttle and an MTV which is playing music videos! Remember all that???”
Kinda disappointed to hear the show has been greenlit for a second series, with the same characters, though - I think the story is told and it’s time to move onto an anthology series, maybe with the Shadow Vale thing as a recurring feature.
Also, I know this is nit-picky, but it annoyed me that the Demigorgon was apparently immune to gunfire but not being smacked around with a spiked baseball bat.
I had only watched a couple of episodes until yesterday (although I liked it) and the OP made me go ahead and watch the rest. I finished it yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Every one in the cast was very good, I though. I especially liked the curly headed boy, but I don’t remember his name. I am glad they are going to a second season.
However, I really didn’t like the cliff hanger. I wonder if this was kinda rushed through when Netflix decided they wanted to renew it and they came up with a quick idea. I hate to see Will go through this.
Bob
Anecdote: During the climax, when everyone was screaming loudly (you know the part), my TV kept shutting off (I guess from the noise of the screaming. I was playing it pretty loud) and I would have to turn it back on and backup up a little bit to see what I missed. Never knew that loud sounds could turn off my TV.
Just finished the series–I thought it was great. I had a laugh that the guard that gets punched out in the morgue was reading a Stephen King book.
Funny thing, though–what really sealed the deal for me, nostalgia-wise, was one tiny detail. In the final episode (though maybe before and I didn’t notice), they showed a particular Rubbermaid pitcher with a button on the lid. We had the exact same one, beige color and all, in my childhood. I don’t think I’ve seen that pitcher in 25+ years. It was usually filled with Kool-Aid.
In the scene in the first episode with boys playing D&D, and them screaming for Will to fireball Demogorgon, my main though was, don’t do that, it’s a waste of time, he’s immune to fire. 
