Stranger Things (Season 5)

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⭐6/10

Finally this show is done and I have no idea what score to give it. On the one hand, this show is simply fun to watch. We binged it in about a week and I was always happy to start the next episode. It's exciting, but in a safe, formulaic way, where it's almost a comfort watch which is a crazy thing to say about a horror tv show. On the other hand, this is the most wildly self-indulgent show maybe in the history of TV. Find you someone who loves you like the Duffer Bros love their characters because holy crap, this was a tough watch by the end. Everyone has to have their moment, every pairing had to have a heart-to-heart, every character has to have their character development recap speech. 

As for the good, I'll go back to the basics. The music is good as it has always been and is one of the defining traits of this show. The 80s aesthetic is cool but not really a huge part of the show by now. The characters remain fun and engaging. Still, I think the best trait of this show is that it is action-packed and propulsive at all times, or at least in the first half. Those silly moments of getting around a table and discussing their theory and plan are pretty tiring by season 5, especially because they make no sense, but they sure do help us get right to the action. The action and thriller sequences always do a nice job of building up tension though of course you know the main cast is safe, the children are never in danger, and nobody is going to take a stray bullet. If anyone dies, it was a moment of grand sacrifice! And I'm fine with that. There are no red wedding moments, nothing that makes you want to turn the TV off, nothing to process before you start up the next episode. 

So it was fun! It has an insane budget and all the Netflix traditions are there. That leads me to the negatives, which are many. Before my primary complaint, can I just say that I have no idea what this show is about? I'm not even talking a convoluted plot or world building, but even like, what does Vecna even want? And why? They make attempts at humanizing him, making us understand him... but I still don't even get what makes him a villain, let alone one I can sympathize with. There are some revelations at the end, but I don't think it actually ties anything together, and anyways maybe the last episode of a 5 season show is a little late to explain why he acts the way he does? I think the show runners really think they made a classic villain, but I completely fail to understand him. 

Alright, now for my primary problem with the show. My goodness do these writers need an editor. This show could have cut probably 5 hours of just talking and it would have been much better for it. This breaks all the cliche writing rules. Kill your darlings, show don't tell. It's not enough for these characters to grow - they need to tell you that they've grown. "Hey man, sorry for what I said the other scene. I was a real jerk... But the truth is I was just scared. Not just scared of losing you, but scared of who I'd become if I lost you..." I can't confirm, but I think some variation of that line was said 200 times this season. In fact Hopper gives his "I can't lose Eleven" speech TWICE! Once was too many times. Trust your audience! We don't have to hear every thought these characters could potentially have! 

I remember last season being unbearable in this regard, and I was worried that with the finale looming, these creators would lose their minds. At first I was okay with the speeches. They were a bit less common, and honestly with the world ending, some of them felt appropriate. But they lose all effect after a hundred times. I think of some of TVs great speeches, and the thing that makes them amazing is that they are so rare. The Duffer Bros are not as talented of writers as say, the writers of Andor or something, but they are not bad! One or two well-timed speeches would have really hit! But those final two episodes are absolutely terrible. Every time the music would swell in and the character would start that whisper-talk, I groaned so loud and asked Jess if we could fast forward. If this didn't just happen last season, I'd think I was going crazy.

It completely ruined the season for me. I didn't think it was some masterpiece of a show, but I was thinking a 7 or 8 before the final episodes. And you know what? I still think they stuck the landing with the final scene! They got a lot right! This is still a fun show! But this is what happens when you fall in love with your own show and nobody is there to offer a little restraint. 

Anyways, MVP to Dipshit Derek. "Suck my fat one" is a crazy thing for a 10 year old to say, but is the perfect line and got funnier each time. I won't lie, there was room for one last "suck my fat one" in the finale and they missed it. 

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