Current TV Boxset Addiction

[radiator]

Stranger Things.

I was almost a bit predisposed not to like this, as I suspected that it would be another Super 8 - ie a mediocre story dressed up in early 80s Amblin clothing, laser-targeted to pander to the nostalgia of people like me.

And while there's arguably still an element of that (is there anything about the story that demands it be a 1980s period piece other than aesthetics?), it's a far more accomplished piece of work.

In fact the period detail and presentation are so eerily convincing that I actually find the very modern pacing and editing a little jarring in context. The music too - while totally great - feels very much like a modern take on 80s synth, not a convincing simulacrum of it.

Really great performances all round, and an appealing cast of characters that grab the attention, even if the story and many of the specific plot beats feel a little over-familiar.

I'm only up to episode 4 so far, and the only place its put a foot wrong is the [spoiler]fake dead body[/spoiler]. I'm hoping there's going to be an explanation for it, because otherwise it comes across as more than a little silly and contrived.

But all in all - Holy shit, Netflix continue to smash it out of the park with their original programming. It's just hit after hit, and I heard somewhere recently that they are aiming to drop a brand new series every week of the year... HBO must be shitting themselves.

Oh, and that sound you can hear is Hollywood desperately banging on the door of the Duffer Brothers.

[Theblazeuk]

is there anything about the story that demands it be a 1980s period piece other than aesthetics?

Maybe just a timeline that connects with MK Ultra and cold war espionage. But that's hardly a necessity.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

is there anything about the story that demands it be a 1980s period piece other than aesthetics?

Maybe just a timeline that connects with MK Ultra and cold war espionage. But that's hardly a necessity.

You could argue that a buncha preteens running around unsupervised would hardly happen in this day and age. They don't have mobile phones and the internet, or videogames (hence the DnD), it might be harder to make the kids beleivable if it had a modern setting, since they would constantly have to make popculture references and talk about memes and GET OFF MY DARN LAWN! With the internet [spoiler]Wills disapearance[/spoiler] would have gone viral and brought a load of weirdos down on the town. All in all I don't think it's 80s for the sake of it.

[radiator]

It's kind of a pet hate of mine* - period setting in a work of fiction for no real reason other than novelty, to hit the retro/nostalgia button, or to lend a sense of authenticity.

I'll give Stranger Things the benefit of the doubt because it's done so well, though.

*I think I've moaned about this before, but I also find excessive, really on-the-nose period detail a bit annoying/distracting too - like when a movie or TV show is set in the 1980s, and within the first thirty seconds they wheel out every single 80s cliche they can think of to really smash the audience over the head - Thatcher on the TV talking about the Falklands and/or Miner's Strike, Culture Club on the radio and someone playing with a Rubik's Cube etc etc.

[Mardroid]

The Living and the Dead

They're showing it weekly, but I crammed the whole lot on BBC iPlayer.

Spooky rural drama in Victorian setting with strange but cleverly done [spoiler]timey-wimey[/spoiler] stuff. From the same guys as Life on Mars apparently. And it really is spooky in places.

There's more to it than that. [spoiler]It uses these toys to explore the nature of grief and loss and hard choices.[/spoiler] And starring that chap from Merlin and a very pretty freckly actress playing his wife.

It's really good.

[Tiplodocus]

Binged the end of FARGO.

That was brilliant. And a while slew of references to other Coen brothers movies too (I'd spotted a few in the incidental music but the Miller's Crossing, Raising Arizona and No Country For Old Men bits were great to twig).

[radiator]

Polished off the last four episodes of Stranger Things last night, and while it was overall a wonderful piece of television (some contrived and awkward plotting aside), it didn't quite stick the landing for me. [spoiler]Essentially, I wanted/expected a much more conclusive ending. It very much felt like it was building up to a conclusive ending, then had some very tacked-on feeling dangling plot threads for season 2. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was always intended as a miniseries, tbh.[/spoiler]

In particular, it felt like a major let-down/cop out [spoiler]to have the whole season building up to a few key events (Jonathan and Nancy's romance, the lovely foundation of a brand new Byers family unit and the rescue of Will) only to utterly confound them all at the last second.[/spoiler]

While I pretty much loved the show - the cast, the style, the writing, the music... I don't really want to see a continuation of it, if that makes sense? It almost feels like it might be another Heroes - a great first season that should have been a one-off miniseries.

Or maybe I'll be wrong, and season 2 will be just as amazing?

[Satanist]

Just watched the latest ep of Mr Robot last night - that was one dark episode. It was great!

[Keef Monkey]

Just watched the latest ep of Mr Robot last night - that was one dark episode. It was great!

Agreed, it was brilliant this week!

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Oooh.

We have two rules in our house:

1) Unless someone makes an impassioned plea, no watching a show until you know it's been renewed to at least two seasons.

2) Only two shows can be being watched at any time. As we've just polished off American Horror Story and Blacklist (with Preacher being followed under rule one), we are about to embark on a double barrel of Mr Robot and Stranger Things.

I am enthused by this thread.

[Hawkmumbler]

I've been rewatching THE X-FILES and man, i'm hit by just how well it all holds up, really looking forward to finally seeing how the new series compares.

That being said...THE RAIN KING. That one episode everyone else loves except me. Because its fucking shit.

[Goaty]

On way home after lovely break in Florence with missus. One thing I like about aboard is see their collection of Netflix! I just finally see final series of Penny Dreadful, how brilliant was that!

Again it is what The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen should be! (After see first two series in France last year) All casting was perfect, but not sure about this last series villain [spoiler]Don't ask which one![/spoiler]

[Jim_Campbell]

how brilliant was that!

I have to go with 'not brilliant at all'. I bailed on the series after some interminable fucking episode about dancing around on the moors. I'll admit, there were occasional flashes of brilliance, but they were much too few, with far too much unutterable toss between them.

[Goaty]

Well I liked it

[Theblazeuk]

Binged the end of FARGO.

That was brilliant. And a while slew of references to other Coen brothers movies too (I'd spotted a few in the incidental music but the Miller's Crossing, Raising Arizona and No Country For Old Men bits were great to twig).

Did that last week myself - absolutely brilliant stuff. Luke Wilson was great and (shockingly) so was Kirsten Dunst, though I did want to slap her so many times.