Stranger Things Discussion & Theories (Spoilers)

[Infensus]

The final episode of season 3 left me with a few questions, which I thought I'd bring up for discussion. Spoilers hidden for courtesy

Spoiler

1) Are El's powers gone for good or do you think they'll come back? Maybe she exerted so much power on the mind flayer in the battle of starcourt, that her powers are permanently drained, or weakened for an extended period?

2) In the post-credit scene of the final episode. We see the same Russian facility which appeared in episode 1 and a room of cells. When two Russian guards approach the cell doors to take someone out one points and says 'Not the American.' To me this suggests Hopper is still alive, and was somehow captured by the Russians after the battle of starcourt.

3) Suzie seems like an interesting character, I wonder if she'll reappear in Stranger Things 4?

 

[steelo]

Take this with a grain of salt, but here's my theory for season 4:

 

 

1. El will run into one of her 'sisters' from season 2 who will somehow help her to regain her supernatural powers.

 

2. They never did show Hopper die, so it's plausible that it is him - although I don't know what they'd use him for...he's really not of much use to the Russians.

I'm thinking this mysterious 'American' may have special powers like El, again maybe one of her sisters? - it's been awhile since I've watched season 2 but I don't think they ever showed what happened to them...correct me if I'm wrong.

 

3. Probably, she kind of got on my nerves a little

[Infensus]

Spoiler

1 hour ago, steelo said:

1. My theory is in season 4, El will run into one of her 'sisters' who will somehow help her to regain her supernatural powers.

 

2. They never did show Hopper die, so it's plausible that it is him - although I don't know what they'd use him for...he's really not of much use to the Russians.

I'm thinking this mysterious 'American' may have special powers like El, again maybe one of her sisters? - it's been awhile since I've watched season 2 but I don't think they ever showed what happened to them...correct me if I'm wrong.

 

3. Probably, she kind of got on my nerves a little

 

Spoiler

If it is Hopper that they've captured, maybe it's because he was the only one they got ahold of, plus they'd probably want revenge against him because he killed Grigori. It's not clear if the Russian's know anything about El, I thought not. But if they do, since Hopper is her legal guardian, he'd be a way of them getting to her. I'm sure the Russians will continue to try and weaponise the mind flayer or El in some way if they know about her

 

[Mister Woof]

Spoiler

 

1. Probably will return and they will use her experience as a "normie" to explore her character arc. Many superhero stories go down the lost powers path.

 

2. I don't think it's Hopper. Hopper had a good ending. His character basically died when his daughter died, and El helped him feel again and to accept the loss. His relationship with El gave him one last moment of happiness. The letter El reads is a great send off. I believe it is actually a captured Dr. Brenner. This explains how they have the tech, and gives hopper a dignified end.

 

3. Suzie is a Deus ex machina in a way. She might continue in that capacity.

 

 

[Infensus]

39 minutes ago, Plutosaurus said:

  Hide contents

 

1. Probably will return and they will use her experience as a "normie" to explore her character arc. Many superhero stories go down the lost powers path.

 

2. I don't think it's Hopper. Hopper had a good ending. His character basically died when his daughter died, and El helped him feel again and to accept the loss. His relationship with El gave him one last moment of happiness. The letter El reads is a great send off. I believe it is actually a captured Dr. Brenner. This explains how they have the tech, and gives hopper a dignified end.

 

3. Suzie is a Deus ex machina in a way. She might continue in that capacity.

 

Spoiler

That's a fair point, I did think the letter at the end tied things together really sweetly, he was a great great character though, shame to lose him

 

 

[JohnMcL7]

Spoiler

1 - I would prefer if El didn't get her powers back as it makes anything from the upside down a lot more threatening when they have much less defence against it and also her powers have always made her different so it would be a good story arc to see her adapt to being normal and not being set apart.

 

2 - If you phone Murrary's number you get the following answering machine message:

 

“Hi, you have reached the residence of Murray Bauman, Mom, if this is you, please hang up and call me between the hours of 5 and 6 p.m. as previously discussed, OK? If this is Joyce, Joyce, thank you for calling, I have been trying to reach ya. I have an update. It’s about, well, it’s probably best if we speak in person. It’s not good or bad, but it’s something.”

 

It suggests there might be some news about Hopper although I hope he is dead so it has impact, I would feel we're a bit cheated if he's brought back even though I'm sure they can explain it.

 

[Infensus]

14 minutes ago, JohnMcL7 said:

  Hide contents

1 - I would prefer if El didn't get her powers back as it makes anything from the upside down a lot more threatening when they have much less defence against it and also her powers have always made her different so it would be a good story arc to see her adapt to being normal and not being set apart.

 

2 - If you phone Murrary's number you get the following answering machine message:

 

“Hi, you have reached the residence of Murray Bauman, Mom, if this is you, please hang up and call me between the hours of 5 and 6 p.m. as previously discussed, OK? If this is Joyce, Joyce, thank you for calling, I have been trying to reach ya. I have an update. It’s about, well, it’s probably best if we speak in person. It’s not good or bad, but it’s something.”

 

It suggests there might be some news about Hopper although I hope he is dead so it has impact, I would feel we're a bit cheated if he's brought back even though I'm sure they can explain it.

Spoiler

ooh that's really interesting. I like the first idea about El as well. I think we've gradually been seeing her adjust to being a normal kid and losing her powers would probably be an extension of that. But since losing her powers makes her just a normal human, that might help build her identity and make her closer with her friends because she isn't so different to them anymore. The whole season has really followed all these characters discovering themselves and growing up, El learning to speak, breaking the rules etc. so I agree that arc would be interesting

 

 

[EldritchMoose]

Spoiler

- El's powers: I doubt she lost them for good, but I suspect that they'll pull a Danny Rand with her and leave it until the last episode cliffhanger to suddenly have them kick back in. Failing that, we'll likely be seeing more from the other psychic kids.

 

- "The American": I really cannot see this being someone other than Hopper or Dr. Brenner. My wife has been rewatching the series and mentioned that Brenner died, so I'll have to see for myself whether or not they show the body. I suppose it's possible that it's a yet-unnamed character, but I don't think they'd have mentioned them in the stinger if that were the case.

 

- Suzie: I would be extremely surprised if she doesn't return. She was a decent enough Chekov's Gunman but the gag went on a bit too long for my taste. I liked it as an excuse to showcase Gaten Materazzo's singing talent, though.

 

Personal predictions:

 

- With most of the relationship drama wrapped up once again, I think next season will likely feature either Jonathan or Nancy screwing up the long distance relationship thing. Whoever screws up first, it'll probably drive Nancy to hook up with Steve again for at least a one night stand, leading to the romantic plot tumor of the season.

 

- I think the series as a whole will move out of Hawkins. With the amount of townsfolk lost there probably isn't much of a story left to tell there. I think we'll open on the Wheelers and assorted kid friends visiting clan Byers for Christmas when weird shit strikes again in the place where they currently reside.

 

- With the amount of Cold War stuff that has already gone on, I would be very surprised if we didn't get a doomsday clock scenario or at the very least a "Two Minutes to Midnight" reference. Either as the title of the final episode, or split across the final two with the penultimate episode named "Two Minutes"and the final one "Midnight."

 

- Failing that, the American and Russian experiments with regards to extradimensional travel will result in an invasion of both countries to the point where the series ends with a bang of mutually assured destruction.

 

[dalekphalm]

15 hours ago, Infensus said:

The final episode of season 3 left me with a few questions, which I thought I'd bring up for discussion. Spoilers hidden for courtesy

  Hide contents

1) Are El's powers gone for good or do you think they'll come back? Maybe she exerted so much power on the mind flayer in the battle of starcourt, that her powers are permanently drained, or weakened for an extended period?

2) In the post-credit scene of the final episode. We see the same Russian facility which appeared in episode 1 and a room of cells. When two Russian guards approach the cell doors to take someone out one points and says 'Not the American.' To me this suggests Hopper is still alive, and was somehow captured by the Russians after the battle of starcourt.

3) Suzie seems like an interesting character, I wonder if she'll reappear in Stranger Things 4?

 

Why are we hiding spoilers? This is a spoiler theory discussion thread. Just edit the title to say "Spoilers" and be done with it. People are going to be posting spoilers. There's literally no reason  to enter this thread unless you want to read or discuss spoilers.

 

1. They aren't gone for good. They might do a narrative thing where she lost them temporarily, but she'll get them back in Season 4 either by herself naturally, or through the help of some third party (Eg: That government doctor guy that's "kind of" a good guy, or as mentioned above, one of her sisters).

2. Yep, 100% Hopper is still alive. I believe that he jumped through the portal (or perhaps was thrown through via the explosion), and that this somehow ejected him out through one of the original test sites in Russia. There's little chance that the Russians somehow captured and snuck him out of the facility while the US Government was storming it.

3. Almost certainly she'll be back in Season 4. Can you believe that the actor is 16? I thought she looked even younger than the rest of the cast (too young for Dustin, actually) - but I didn't mind her character. I don't have strong feelings about her character either way.

 

I was actually a little surprised they didn't do anything with the other sisters in this season, but I suspect it was because of how bad a reaction people had to the episode in Season 2 where Elle met her sister and had that little "side adventure" (Seriously though, that was almost certainly a backdoor pilot for the sister - could still happen eventually I suppose).

[Infensus]

3 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Why are we hiding spoilers? This is a spoiler theory discussion thread. Just edit the title to say "Spoilers" and be done with it. People are going to be posting spoilers. There's literally no reason  to enter this thread unless you want to read or discuss spoilers.

 

1. They aren't gone for good. They might do a narrative thing where she lost them temporarily, but she'll get them back in Season 4 either by herself naturally, or through the help of some third party (Eg: That government doctor guy that's "kind of" a good guy, or as mentioned above, one of her sisters).

2. Yep, 100% Hopper is still alive. I believe that he jumped through the portal (or perhaps was thrown through via the explosion), and that this somehow ejected him out through one of the original test sites in Russia. There's little chance that the Russians somehow captured and snuck him out of the facility while the US Government was storming it.

3. Almost certainly she'll be back in Season 4. Can you believe that the actor is 16? I thought she looked even younger than the rest of the cast (too young for Dustin, actually) - but I didn't mind her character. I don't have strong feelings about her character either way.

 

I was actually a little surprised they didn't do anything with the other sisters in this season, but I suspect it was because of how bad a reaction people had to the episode in Season 2 where Elle met her sister and had that little "side adventure" (Seriously though, that was almost certainly a backdoor pilot for the sister - could still happen eventually I suppose).

Hiding was only necessary the first few posts, idk I thought mods might not like people discussing spoilers for a tv show. Yeah I really hope hopper is alive he's my favourite character. 

[dalekphalm]

15 hours ago, Infensus said:

If it is Hopper that they've captured, maybe it's because he was the only one they got ahold of, plus they'd probably want revenge against him because he killed Grigori. It's not clear if the Russian's know anything about El, I thought not. But if they do, since Hopper is her legal guardian, he'd be a way of them getting to her. I'm sure the Russians will continue to try and weaponise the mind flayer or El in some way if they know about her

As far as we're aware, they don't know anything about Elle. They don't even seem to know all that much about what happened in Hawkins - they didn't know about any of the kids being involved in the previous situation. They didn't even seem to know that Hopper or Joyce were really involved.

 

Though with Hopper's "death", I'd suggest that now Joyce is her legal guardian. Which is probably better for Elle anyway, let's be honest  - though if Hopper does survive, this could help setup Joyce and Hopper finally getting together - I ship those two so hard.

14 hours ago, Plutosaurus said:

1. Probably will return and they will use her experience as a "normie" to explore her character arc. Many superhero stories go down the lost powers path.

I agree - I suspect she'll either have her powers immediately, and will have gotten them back "off camera" (less likely), or she will spend a significant chunk of Season 4 without them, and will only gain her powers back after going through some big trial or experience which culminates in the last Act.

14 hours ago, Plutosaurus said:

2. I don't think it's Hopper. Hopper had a good ending. His character basically died when his daughter died, and El helped him feel again and to accept the loss. His relationship with El gave him one last moment of happiness. The letter El reads is a great send off. I believe it is actually a captured Dr. Brenner. This explains how they have the tech, and gives hopper a dignified end.

While Hopper did have a good ending, as others have mentioned, there's some viral marketing going on that hints at Hoppers return. I suspect this is more of a contract thing, where they want him to return, but they're leaving the door open unless he's unable to.

 

Dr. Brenner would also be an interesting outcome. There's also nothing to say that the Russians don't have both of them.

14 hours ago, Plutosaurus said:

3. Suzie is a Deus ex machina in a way. She might continue in that capacity.

Kind of. I hope she doesn't. At least, not in the same way. If Suzie is to return, they need to build her character up a lot more. They're all smart. Her just being "smarter" than the rest is kind of shallow. It worked well for Season 3, but if she becomes a main cast member (or even a recurring guest), they'll need to build on that.

13 hours ago, JohnMcL7 said:

1 - I would prefer if El didn't get her powers back as it makes anything from the upside down a lot more threatening when they have much less defence against it and also her powers have always made her different so it would be a good story arc to see her adapt to being normal and not being set apart.

I would very much dislike it if she never got her powers back. Part of the reason why this show is awesome is because there's a fucking little girl with awesome mind powers that can wreck shit.

 

I'd be satisfied if she spent most of the season "recovering" or having to relearn her powers or some BS excuse, so long as she gets them back by the end.

13 hours ago, JohnMcL7 said:

2 - If you phone Murrary's number you get the following answering machine message:

 

“Hi, you have reached the residence of Murray Bauman, Mom, if this is you, please hang up and call me between the hours of 5 and 6 p.m. as previously discussed, OK? If this is Joyce, Joyce, thank you for calling, I have been trying to reach ya. I have an update. It’s about, well, it’s probably best if we speak in person. It’s not good or bad, but it’s something.”

 

It suggests there might be some news about Hopper although I hope he is dead so it has impact, I would feel we're a bit cheated if he's brought back even though I'm sure they can explain it.

Yeah - because of that? I definitely think Hopper lives.

5 hours ago, EldritchMoose said:

- El's powers: I doubt she lost them for good, but I suspect that they'll pull a Danny Rand with her and leave it until the last episode cliffhanger to suddenly have them kick back in. Failing that, we'll likely be seeing more from the other psychic kids.

Agreed on this.

5 hours ago, EldritchMoose said:

- "The American": I really cannot see this being someone other than Hopper or Dr. Brenner. My wife has been rewatching the series and mentioned that Brenner died, so I'll have to see for myself whether or not they show the body. I suppose it's possible that it's a yet-unnamed character, but I don't think they'd have mentioned them in the stinger if that were the case.

He died off screen, and as we know in any fantastical fiction - if we didn't see it, it maybe didn't happen. He was attacked by the Demigorgan, I believe - and his fate is "uncertain".

5 hours ago, EldritchMoose said:

- Suzie: I would be extremely surprised if she doesn't return. She was a decent enough Chekov's Gunman but the gag went on a bit too long for my taste. I liked it as an excuse to showcase Gaten Materazzo's singing talent, though.

Yep - the song was too long for my tastes, but the show caters to a wide variety of people, so others may have loved that scene, and that's okay.

5 hours ago, EldritchMoose said:

Personal predictions:

 

- With most of the relationship drama wrapped up once again, I think next season will likely feature either Jonathan or Nancy screwing up the long distance relationship thing. Whoever screws up first, it'll probably drive Nancy to hook up with Steve again for at least a one night stand, leading to the romantic plot tumor of the season.

Hmm - could be. I kind of think Steve has moved on, but perhaps he might fall back into old habits. I hope they write in an interesting character as a counter balance for Steve. Robin was kind of that - but as we discovered, she's gay (which is cool, and makes for interesting story since homosexuality still was hush hush in the 80's). I definitely hope Robin returns, she's awesome. But I would also like an interesting and well thought out character that could hook up with Steve.

5 hours ago, EldritchMoose said:

- I think the series as a whole will move out of Hawkins. With the amount of townsfolk lost there probably isn't much of a story left to tell there. I think we'll open on the Wheelers and assorted kid friends visiting clan Byers for Christmas when weird shit strikes again in the place where they currently reside.

I think they'll start by bouncing between Hawkins and wherever the Byers moved to (was that mentioned? If so, I didn't catch it).

 

That does give them an opportunity to explore other areas though, while they are at it.

5 hours ago, EldritchMoose said:

- With the amount of Cold War stuff that has already gone on, I would be very surprised if we didn't get a doomsday clock scenario or at the very least a "Two Minutes to Midnight" reference. Either as the title of the final episode, or split across the final two with the penultimate episode named "Two Minutes"and the final one "Midnight."

The Ruskies are definitely going to be involved heavily in Season 4. I'd be shocked if they weren't. We'll have to see how it plays out.

5 hours ago, EldritchMoose said:

- Failing that, the American and Russian experiments with regards to extradimensional travel will result in an invasion of both countries to the point where the series ends with a bang of mutually assured destruction.

The series isn't Game of Thrones. There's always a hint of optimism and hope. I'd be shocked if they ended the series with the "bad guys" winning. Though I could see some sort of scenario where the Russians team up with the Americans.

[dalekphalm]

13 minutes ago, Infensus said:

Hiding was only necessary the first few posts, idk I thought mods might not like people discussing spoilers for a tv show. Yeah I really hope hopper is alive he's my favourite character. 

Nah - mods don't care as long as the title is clearly labeled. We have spoiler discussions on almost every pop culture movie or TV show that comes out.

[Infensus]

25 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

little girl with awesome mind powers that can wreck shit.

is the best synopsis for this show I've ever read

[dalekphalm]

Just now, Infensus said:

is the best synopsis for this show I've ever read

Yep when she ripped the Mind Flayer's (in full size) head in half at the cabin? That shit was awesome.

[Mister Woof]

I'd like to say that Steve is probably my favorite character on the show, but I really have a hard time stomaching scenes with Mike.

 

Mike is definitely my least favorite.

 

Although, specifically in season 3, Nancy and Jonathan were the least enjoyable.

[dalekphalm]

24 minutes ago, Plutosaurus said:

I'd like to say that Steve is probably my favorite character on the show, but I really have a hard time stomaching scenes with Mike.

Steve is definitely one of the best characters - him along with Hopper go through the most amount of character growth.

24 minutes ago, Plutosaurus said:

Mike is definitely my least favorite.

I have no problems with Mike, I really enjoyed his and Elle's arc in Season 2, and I thought that he was very relatable in Season 3 with going through teen romance for the first time, stumbling through it, not understanding women, etc.

 

What don't you like about him?

24 minutes ago, Plutosaurus said:

Although, specifically in season 3, Nancy and Jonathan were the least enjoyable.

I think Nancy and Jonathan are definitely some of my favourite characters. What about them was not enjoyable this season? They didn't get as much to do as last season, mind you.

[Infensus]

I don't think I found any of the characters especially annoying, other than the guys at the hawkins post

[dalekphalm]

20 minutes ago, Infensus said:

I don't think I found any of the characters especially annoying, other than the guys at the hawkins post

You're talking about the old school reporters who are misogynistic douche bags? If so, they're supposed to be annoying, so we all likely agree with you on that point.

 

I personally found Suzie a bit over the top with the musical number, but I get that that scene wasn't for me, so it doesn't bother me.

[RedRound2]

1 hour ago, dalekphalm said:

I personally found Suzie a bit over the top with the musical number, but I get that that scene wasn't for me, so it doesn't bother me.

That scene was supposed to be humorous. The look on everyone's faces was just golden.

[dalekphalm]

11 minutes ago, RedRound2 said:

That scene was supposed to be humorous. The look on everyone's faces was just golden.

Yes, that was obvious. And it was funny. But it went on too long for my tastes. Which is fine because, as I said, that scene wasn't for me.

[Techicolors]

3 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Yep when she ripped the Mind Flayer's (in full size) head in half at the cabin? That shit was awesome.

Lucas was pretty awesome too. like axing one of the mind flayer's arms and using fireworks against it in the last ep 

 

9 hours ago, EldritchMoose said:

- El's powers: I doubt she lost them for good, but I suspect that they'll pull a Danny Rand with her and leave it until the last episode cliffhanger to suddenly have them kick back in. Failing that, we'll likely be seeing more from the other psychic kids.

i was actually looking forward to seeing Eight and the others again in S3, maybe as support or something. i mean, another person like El would be a huge asset both in field and as a character plot. but then again, El left them in pretty bad terms so it'll probably require some reconciliation 

 

but seeing El kinda lost her powers, it does open up a huge opportunity to bring them back in S4. plus another potential location to visit 

 

20 hours ago, Infensus said:

The final episode of season 3 left me with a few questions, which I thought I'd bring up for discussion. Spoilers hidden for courtesy

  Reveal hidden contents

1) Are El's powers gone for good or do you think they'll come back? Maybe she exerted so much power on the mind flayer in the battle of starcourt, that her powers are permanently drained, or weakened for an extended period?

2) In the post-credit scene of the final episode. We see the same Russian facility which appeared in episode 1 and a room of cells. When two Russian guards approach the cell doors to take someone out one points and says 'Not the American.' To me this suggests Hopper is still alive, and was somehow captured by the Russians after the battle of starcourt.

3) Suzie seems like an interesting character, I wonder if she'll reappear in Stranger Things 4?

 

i honestly felt the ending to S3 was pretty dead-on and i wouldn't have done it any other way. Hopper's death still has a lasting hurt for me. but thinking about the marketing and stuff people have mentioned it is likely he'll be back. could be the 'American' in the holding cell, or that he went into the Upside Down just as the laser exploded (it will parallel perfectly with the 'keep the door three inches open' from the ending speech, plus explains why there's no body). frankly reminds me of Infinity War when spiderman dies but we definitely know he and everyone else will come back because Marvel already has films set for him after Endgame, so now the impact of their deaths isn't nearly as intense. but it's still very climatic 

[dalekphalm]

2 hours ago, Techicolors said:

Lucas was pretty awesome too. like axing one of the mind flayer's arms and using fireworks against it in the last ep 

They did a pretty good job of giving the "regular" people their moments to shine - Nancy whipping out the shotgun, Jonathan taking the axe, and Lucas jumping in when Johnathan was knocked away.

 

Except they don't seem to know what to do with Will. This season he was basically their portable "Oh shit, something's going down" detector. He's an interesting character, and in the character development moments, he really shines, so I hope that they figure out what to do with him better in action scenes.

2 hours ago, Techicolors said:

i was actually looking forward to seeing Eight and the others again in S3, maybe as support or something. i mean, another person like El would be a huge asset both in field and as a character plot. but then again, El left them in pretty bad terms so it'll probably require some reconciliation 

I too was expecting Eight to show up. I'd be interested in exploring the other numbers too.

2 hours ago, Techicolors said:

but seeing El kinda lost her powers, it does open up a huge opportunity to bring them back in S4. plus another potential location to visit 

Indeed - I could easily see Elle needing to visit Eight to get her powers back.

2 hours ago, Techicolors said:

i honestly felt the ending to S3 was pretty dead-on and i wouldn't have done it any other way. Hopper's death still has a lasting hurt for me. but thinking about the marketing and stuff people have mentioned it is likely he'll be back. could be the 'American' in the holding cell, or that he went into the Upside Down just as the laser exploded (it will parallel perfectly with the 'keep the door three inches open' from the ending speech, plus explains why there's no body). frankly reminds me of Infinity War when spiderman dies but we definitely know he and everyone else will come back because Marvel already has films set for him after Endgame, so now the impact of their deaths isn't nearly as intense. but it's still very climatic 

Agreed. It was a great ending, and the letter (narrated by Hopper) was a really good touch. Personally, I'd still be satisfied even if he stills lives (I actually want him to come back - Hopper is one of the best parts of the show).

[JohnMcL7]

9 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

I would very much dislike it if she never got her powers back. Part of the reason why this show is awesome is because there's a fucking little girl with awesome mind powers that can wreck shit.

 

I'd be satisfied if she spent most of the season "recovering" or having to relearn her powers or some BS excuse, so long as she gets them back by the end.

 

While El is part of the show I wouldn't say she's the reason the show is awesome and I feel the show is getting stuck in a rut now so if the fourth series just brings more of the same and goes with the very tired trope of the superhero earning their powers back.  One of my favourite of the recent superhero films is Logan which deals with Logan/Wolverine and Professor Xavier losing their superpowers which makes for a fascinating story amongst a flood of increasingly generic superhero films.  We've seen three series of El with her superpowers so I think there's a lot more potential to develop her character by not having powers.

 

I'm a bit disappointed in general with the second and third series, I was rewatching the first two series before the third one came out and while I liked the second series the first time on the second viewing back to back I felt it's a lot weaker because it feels like it's stuck in a loop.  In the first series we start off with nothing and gradually bit by bit we learn of the monster, the upside down, El, the government experiments and how it all comes together.  The second series doesn't really feel like it progresses as although they 'win' at the end it's no surprise that it's still ongoing for the third series.  The third series again feels like it's not progressing much and the numerous 80s/90s references spoil the feel of the series they did so well in the first series.

 

That's why I'm hoping they mix it up and do something more with the fourth series, having Hopper actually gone, El losing her powers and would also like to see more of the Upside down again   My worry is Hopper is going to be alive, El will get her powers back, they'll temporarily win again and we'll remain in the same loop again.

[dalekphalm]

3 hours ago, JohnMcL7 said:

While El is part of the show I wouldn't say she's the reason the show is awesome and I feel the show is getting stuck in a rut now so if the fourth series just brings more of the same and goes with the very tired trope of the superhero earning their powers back.  One of my favourite of the recent superhero films is Logan which deals with Logan/Wolverine and Professor Xavier losing their superpowers which makes for a fascinating story amongst a flood of increasingly generic superhero films.  We've seen three series of El with her superpowers so I think there's a lot more potential to develop her character by not having powers.

 

I'm a bit disappointed in general with the second and third series, I was rewatching the first two series before the third one came out and while I liked the second series the first time on the second viewing back to back I felt it's a lot weaker because it feels like it's stuck in a loop.  In the first series we start off with nothing and gradually bit by bit we learn of the monster, the upside down, El, the government experiments and how it all comes together.  The second series doesn't really feel like it progresses as although they 'win' at the end it's no surprise that it's still ongoing for the third series.  The third series again feels like it's not progressing much and the numerous 80s/90s references spoil the feel of the series they did so well in the first series.

 

That's why I'm hoping they mix it up and do something more with the fourth series, having Hopper actually gone, El losing her powers and would also like to see more of the Upside down again   My worry is Hopper is going to be alive, El will get her powers back, they'll temporarily win again and we'll remain in the same loop again.

I get what you're saying. But to be honest, I think most people don't want that. They can definitely make it interesting and new while still having Elle get her powers back, or Hopper still being alive. I quite liked all three seasons. Season 2 might even be my favourite, but I haven't decided yet.

[EldritchMoose]

14 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Kind of. I hope she doesn't. At least, not in the same way. If Suzie is to return, they need to build her character up a lot more. They're all smart. Her just being "smarter" than the rest is kind of shallow. It worked well for Season 3, but if she becomes a main cast member (or even a recurring guest), they'll need to build on that.

TBH, I'm not entirely sure if the intention was to equate the ability to memorize scientific trivia with being smarter than everyone else. I just read it as Dustin knowing that she knew the number by heart since he had just spent a lot of time with her and it had probably came up. In fact, I really like how the writers handle the idea of showing that characters are smart. They've shown two characters this season that managed to work out how to speak and understand Russian in Cold War era America and a teenage girl who correctly surmised that the thing her emotionally stunted friend needed to mature wasn't to spend more "grown up" time with her boyfriend, but rather to nudge her into developing her own personality so she can figure out for herself where she would go from there.

 

I'm confident that they'll be able to develop her character because of how they ended up handling the insertion of new characters in the past. Both Max and Robin were added to the cast in ways that felt very natural, so I doubt that'll be a problem with Suzie.

 

15 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

The series isn't Game of Thrones. There's always a hint of optimism and hope. I'd be shocked if they ended the series with the "bad guys" winning. Though I could see some sort of scenario where the Russians team up with the Americans.

I think what it comes down to for me is that I spent a lot of time studying the Cold War and it still amazes me how often we were a hair's breadth away from nukes being launched during that time. I can just very easily see the threat of an extradimensional invasion being the thing that tips one of the two sides over the edge to make the decision to send their nudes nukes.

 

I don't know if I'd agree with there being much optimism and hope. It seems that every time something good happens to anyone in the series, it almost immediately is counterbalanced by the good thing being taken away or twisted in some way. This last season alone saw a significant portion of the town being liquefied or just killed, most traditional businesses going under because they couldn't compete against the mall which itself was revealed to be a front for an invasion by a foreign power. The only people who seem to really be in a satisfying place in their lives right now are the four older teens, two of which are happy in a long-distance relationship and two of which are good friends.

15 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

I kind of think Steve has moved on, but perhaps he might fall back into old habits. I hope they write in an interesting character as a counter balance for Steve. Robin was kind of that - but as we discovered, she's gay (which is cool, and makes for interesting story since homosexuality still was hush hush in the 80's).

I think Steve is finally working out how to actually grow up as a person. He's spent most of the series unlearning the high-school bullshit that cost him both the girl he loved and severely harmed his educational prospects. Pairing him with Robin was a good move on the writing staff because she had the exact opposite high school experience that he did so they can now effectively teach each other. I hope they manage to either write him in a nice girlfriend or just end the series with him happily single. It would be nice to see a solid platonic friendship between a two young adults of opposite genders for a change. There's the possibility that that one line from Robin means she's questioning whether or not she might be bisexual, but I kinda hope they just stick to their guns. 

 

The main reason I think Nancy and Steve might have a hook up at some point is because the series has had its fair share of relationship drama and unless they start writing in new characters every other relationship has been mined dry.