u/Distinct_Guess3350

So on the whole I do think Book 2 wasted a little too much time and could drag a fair bit but when it came down to the main story of Korra and Unalaq, the Harmonic Convergence of the physical and spirit world, I loved all that, but the thing that stood out to me the most was the dive 10,000 years back to the origins of the Avatar. I loved the ideas of Raava and Vaatu, I thought they were great characters and I loved the idea of the light spirit bonding with a human to create the Avatar.

I’m only a recent fan so I’m not super in touch with the fanbase. I know Korra can be a bit divisive (though I do like it so far) but how do other people feel about this lore?

Look, to me Davros will always be the character we see on the right. I fully understand the frustration over the redesign and I actually agree with it mostly. However, this specific design was introduced in a Children in Need skit. Given the subject matter, I think that was fully acceptable. They could've used any other Doctor Who villain for sure, but as Davros goes, I think it was fully necessary to present him in a more able form as shown in the Children in Need short, considering what that’s all about.

However, as I said I do hate the design and am absolutely against that being his look if he is to return in the coming years. I just felt that this specific debut for the design needed discussed as I haven’t really seen anybody talking about the point I’m trying to make here. If he goes back to looking the way we know him to under the new showrunner, I think it will be perfectly easy to forget about this brief design change.

For the last little while I’ve really been contemplating the fact that I might be bi, but I don’t know how to be sure. With a lot of people like friends and stuff I struggle to determine what sort of affection I’m giving and receiving and I have weird feelings around certain people as if I have a crush on them. I’ve had crushes on girls so that was easy to identify because I guess I thought I was straight for ages but its become so much more confusing now and I’d like to be sure.

The main sub basically seems to think that Kali and Linnea Berthelsen were done dirty by the writers. Some people accuse them of racism and misogyny and I just think those are bafflingly stupid accusations just because Kali isn’t a perfect, flawless, one-dimensional slab of a character.

She‘s morally complex, yeah. She’s not supposed to be this lovely, perfect human being. She has her own agenda, she’s manipulative. She’s written intentionally as a flawed character. It was the fanbase who chose to hate her, not the writers, and I’m sure if the episode had been better received - by the audience - then we would’ve seen more of her before season 5.

In short, I simply think the hate and accusations thrown at the writers over the handling of Kali are purely stupid. Yes, she isn’t perfect. It’s like the main sub just does not understand her character at all and uses her as some excuse to accuse the writers of hate crimes which I just cannot stand. I’m no fan of The Lost Sister, but I’ve always liked how Kali’s character was handled. She’s like the opposite of Eleven, one inflicts vengeance and the other finds hope, with their paths converging multiple times. I’ve always enjoyed her character and I think the writers took her in exactly the right direction. What do you all think?

From the first time it was used in I believe the opening scene of episode 2, this track really beautifully captured the innocence and tragedy of her character. It had an essence of freedom to it, nicely reflecting the way she found herself and her happiness after escaping Hawkins Lab and meeting Mike.

Then as the show progresses, it feels as if the music grows with her. The orchestral remix used in 4x8 I think is the last time we hear her theme in the show, though I wouldn’t swear to it, it may have come up in season 5 and I just forgot. That remix feels like a sort of matured version of how it was before. It plays as she finally defied Brenner for the last time, breaking his emotional hold over her and completing her journey of freedom and independence.

I honestly feel that her theme tune is a piece of musical genius from the composers who worked on each version, it really captures her journey, her arc in the music. As I said, it feels like it grows with her. There are some excellent character themes out there, but Eleven’s is one of my favourite. Such a powerful piece of music. Just had to write a post in recognition of it because I do think both versions are amongst the best pieces of music in the show, which is really saying something. How do other people feel about this track?

Took so long, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened over the score for Books 1 & 2, but I’m glad we finally have the full set here.

I know it’s only day 2 and review bombs could easily get worse but all things considered these are genuinely fantastic scores.

Can’t believe it’s been that long already. I’m not someone who has been watching it from the start, but it’s always been a part of my life in one way or another. I remember playing Stranger Things 1984, the excellent mobile game, many years ago. Didn’t know the characters or the story, but I loved it all the same. I would see merch everywhere I went, t-shirts in clothing stores, action figures in toy stores, it was all over the place.

Then, I remember the date, May 21st 2023, my parents finally decided I was old enough to watch it. They were pretty strict about what I watched growing up, so it was quite a big deal for them to let me watch anything more targeted at older kids or adults. This is a coming-of-age story and I first watched it as I was moving from childhood into adulthood. I could relate to it, to its characters. I really felt a connection with it.

Seeing a show that means so much to me turn as old as 10 really makes me feel old, but also appreciate every second of it even more. Through all the highs and lows, I’ve loved it since the day I started it and it will always be an important show to me. Something I go back to whenever I’m feeling down or whenever I just need a bit of entertainment.

Thanks for 10 wonderful years, Stranger Things.

I’m very much aware that the idea to cover the new gate with large metal plates in season 5 was far from popular. I’ve seen many people hating them, some agreeing with the idea. I’m sort of mixed on them.

If I were writing this show and thinking realistically, I don’t disagree that covering an enormous rift with metal plates is a good idea. Especially when trying to keep all the weirdness a secret from the rest of the world. In real life, if a massive rift opened in the centre of town, I’d absolutely expect it to be covered over to prevent creatures from the depths of hell from crawling into our world. As a military action and addition to the plot, I personally think it was the right decision. Just that it was executed poorly.

I would keep the plates, were I to write season 5. But I’d make them mean something. Not just a covering to hide the rift, they’d be a defence mechanism for the town. I’d make sure to show that plates come loose every day, vibes from the Upside-Down slither out. Every few nights, banging and gunfire can be heard. Something trying to break through. New plates being put down to replace broken ones every so often. And of course have much stricter laws against townsfolk going near them. It wouldn’t present like an easy way to save the rift plot for later, it would feel like a genuine threat lay below it and there was a good reason for them being there beyond just hiding the truth. The whole post-apocalyptic vibe just wasn’t there for me. I enjoyed season 5 enough, but it had many problems and I felt this whole vibe was massively lacking. Using the existence of the plates to create a sense of dread in Hawkins could have been great in my opinion. So to me, the inclusion of the plates is not itself an issue. The issue is how they were used, which was a big miss.

What does everyone else think? Do you like them or hate them, what would you do with them or instead of them? I’m curious to hear people’s thoughts. I’m a big fanfic writer and I’m working on some stuff set in Hawkins around the season 4-5 period, so I’d like to know how I can sell that vibe myself but also how you as fans think the writers of the main series could’ve handled this.