Just finished the first four episodes and they were fine. In particular, the story arc is very good. But something seems off with the acting, some of the dialogue doesn't hit and the chemistry the between the actors seems lacking. I think the 3 1/2 year gap between S4 and S5 is the reason. The characters are so much older and it is difficult for me to fully suspend disbelief and (in my mind) just pick up the show from where it left off. I think it was noticeably hard for the core young actors also, who have all matured and moved on to other things (and some are not good actors as adults). TLDR: The "magic" is gone but I still enjoyed the episodes and believe the story arc will ramp to a high level on Christmas and New Year's Eve.
In my opinion the best acted part so far is the girl who plays Holly Wheeler. And the guy who plays Henry Creel.
I enjoyed the first batch of episodes. I've forgotten so much of what happened, and didn't re-watch any before this season, so I'm kind of along for the ride. The special effects are great and I want to see how this ends, but I don't really care anymore. The demogorgan has lost all suspense to me. They just appear, open their faces, roar, and attack. Rinse and repeat.
Expected new varieties of grunts and generals......the Demo-dogs and Demo-bats were a nice distraction.
My gut is the Netflix/WB deal will not be approved. Reminds me too much of AT&T and T-Mobile, except this time we have an administration that will actively interfere.
Watched it, solid season so far.... Would have liked a better explanation on if Vecna turned Will gay....
more of a FYI. Duffer brothers had signed an exclusive deal with Paramount (four years?). Any of their newer stuff will be with Paramount Plus / CBS. Their Netflix contract will conclude soon.
gonna start this final season over the weekend I hardly remember anything that happened the previous seasons, so I’m gonna have to get my Youtube recap on I’m admittedly not that invested because it’s been so long in between seasons
I went back and watched all 4 seasons before I watched the first 4 episodes of season 5. I forgot how much I liked the series. So freaking good. Then I got to season 3, and I was like wtf did they do to everyone? It almost like that whole season was a spoof on everyone. Even the makeup on everyone was bad. Was season 3 during Covid? I can’t remember. Finale of season 3 was good though. Enjoyed the first 4 episodes of season 5 but really feel like it needs to end. So, hopefully this really is the final season. Also, feel like Will lost his acting chops; he was so much better when he was a little kid.
The last time I saw one of these table reads was for the final season Game of Thrones twist. Very different vibes from the cast on that one. lol
The guy playing Will just cannot act. He's flatter than a pancake. The Lucas actor isn't too far behind him. Spoiler Because he's such a bad actor, I think it's a giant mistake so much of S5 is centered on Will. It feels like a forced attempt to keep his character relevant.
Duffer brothers should have had the idea from the start......this is why he was the one getting kidnapped first time around.
Some interesting theories here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrea_perez/stranger-things-season-5-finale-theories
