That Darned Lich

I stayed up late watching the final two episodes of Stranger Things 4 last night, parts of which I liked very much. I still think it's affected by a philosophical shift and beyond that it has some just good old fashioned bad writing. But the performances were very good as were some of the ideas.

There were a lot of scenes between pairs of characters and my favourite was right at the end, when Hopper is finally reunited with Eleven. David Harbour shows why he's become so beloved and he really sells the line about how he stole Eleven's look. It felt like we finally got Hopper back at that point because the whole Soviet subplot never really gained traction. Trying to tie so many plot threads together, the Duffers established some vague idea of the Demigorgons in the Soviet prison being tied to Vecna but it never really became a solid visceral idea.

Spoilers after the screenshot

Eleven's story may have been the most interesting subplot this season and the Duffers seemed to realise at the end they couldn't make Papa a straightforward heroic character. Still, there's a definite shift from the beginning of the series. Stranger Things' first three seasons were about how monsters are necessary to save the day sometimes. This was a theme that manifested not only in Eleven but in how bully characters like Steve and Billy end up being necessary for the fight against the forces of the Upside Down. Stranger Things 4 retcons Eleven to being just an innocent girl with superpowers and also shifts Billy back into a more purely villainous role. That's the difference made by changes in political influence on American media, I suspect, as narratives moved out of the exciting Walter White/Game of Thrones cutthroat era to the mad scramble for certified moral purity.

Instead of a bully, it's Eddie Munson who sacrifices himself this time--very awkwardly. Eddie's fate was a pretty big blunder on the part of the Duffers as this character, whose charm worked fast and brilliant when he was introduced at the beginning of the season, was let down at the end in every way. It didn't make sense plotwise and it didn't make sense thematically. It wasn't clear why Eddie needed to draw off those bat creatures and the belated attempt to make it look like Eddie was trying to overcome cowardice never caught hold because he never seemed especially cowardly. In fact, as the leader of a group of misfits in high school, he seems downright courageous, which seems like the point the show obviously should have made after he's become a pariah. If he really were a coward, he'd have been trying to distance himself from the Hellfire Club.

I liked Max's storyline but I feel like the Duffers could have pushed it further. I love "Running Up That Hill" but it seems like Max would've been into the whole Hounds of Love album. People used to listen to albums in the '80s, it would've been hard for her to repeat the same song over and over on a cassette tape. Maybe they didn't want to pay more royalties to Kate Bush but, considering how things turned out, I bet she or the label would've let the other songs go cheap, if not totally free.

I thought Will's struggle with his attraction to Mike was handled a little too broadly, especially the moment where he was bawling his eyes out right next to Mike. Did Mike think he was dry heaving or what?

The final battle with Vecna was good but overstuffed with monologues. I liked Eddie playing guitar on the roof and Nancy would've been cool with the shotgun if she'd actually used it at the natural moment instead of waiting for a huge dramatic pause. Also, a headshot was obviously in order.

I kept hoping a romance would start between Nancy and Robin. Maybe next season?

Stranger Things is available on Netflix.

Twitter Sonnet #1597

Disputed hues were left between the greens.
The maiden's name was never really blue.
Deceptive calls were played by many means.
The urgent pins denoted which were true.
The dog was running bills to shame the duck.
Beneath the orphan storm we charged a key.
We made a god with pepper, thyme, and luck.
But lemons lost condemned the liquid tree.
Some pointless bats replaced a swinging club.
Beneath the cherry storm some chickens flew.
A hunting bird resides above the hub.
But feathers fell upon the '80s crew.
Confusing spiders belched a cloud of coal.
The action scenes endorsed the nervous foal.