“No loose ends now...”
I’m really getting into this already. I already feel I know these characters and am invested in the storylines.
Much of this episode revolves around the complex consequences of Seth and Wild Bill's shooting las episodes of the man who took part in the killing of the "squareheads"- Seth is now tied to Bill whether he likes it or not, and clashes very much with an untrusting Al. Already I'm seeing why Ian McShane is so praised for this performance.
The ripples widen and widen, as Calamity Jane (a facinating, eccentric and damaged character) ends up stealing the little "squarehead" girl (interesting to see that casual racism, the first thing we see in the episode directed towards a Chinaman, was once applied to the many German and Scandinavian settlers), and that there's a power struggle for her between the principlied Doc and wily Al.
We also find Brom beginning to realise he may have paid £20k for a pup, while his wife Ada turns out to be a junkie. Also interesting is Wild Bill himself, who perhaps gets on with Seth (the hero so far) because Seth just treats him as a normal man- Bill comes across as a man sick and tired of the falseness of fame.
It's only the second episode, and already I feel I know these characters and care about them. This is looking so far like another HBO triumph.
Showing posts with label Joe Chrest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Chrest. Show all posts
Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Wednesday, 28 August 2019
Stranger Things: Chapter Seven- The Bathtub
“Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?”
You can tell it’s the penultimate episode as all the goodies are getting together; yes, the eRly scenes are full of the men from the lab chasing Eleven and the boys but it isn’t long until Joyce and Hopper find them, and by that point both Nancy and Jonathan are on board. The battle lines are drawn. This obviously needs to happen for plot reasons. Before this, though, and importantly, Eleven sends a van or baddies flying through the air which causes the gang to all become friends again- Lucas apologised to Eleven and shakes hands with Mike. All is well, at least within the gang.
But they’re fugitives; the baddies have successfully enlisted Mike’s wary parents and, presumably, those of both Lucas and Dustin, whose families have been conspicuously absent all season. But this just draws all the protagonists together, able at last to join forces and compare notes. If this episode, unlike the others, feel as though it’s shaped by plot necessity then, well, it is; you can imagine this all being planned on a board in a writing room. But it’s all unavoidable in a penultimate episode and shows just how good the writing has been that you don’t notice the plot structure holding everything up.
The expanded gang conjures up a makeshift sensory deprivation tank for Eleven, and we learn both that poor Barb is dead and that Will is alive, hiding, in the version of his den that exists in the Upside Down. So Joyce and Hopper head off to the lab to sneak in to the portal, but this time are well and truly caught. Meanwhile Jonathan and Nancy are off hunting again; you can tell it’s the penultimate episode. Especially as we end with a proper cliffhanger as the Demogorgon gets Will...
One more episode. Go on, let’s.
You can tell it’s the penultimate episode as all the goodies are getting together; yes, the eRly scenes are full of the men from the lab chasing Eleven and the boys but it isn’t long until Joyce and Hopper find them, and by that point both Nancy and Jonathan are on board. The battle lines are drawn. This obviously needs to happen for plot reasons. Before this, though, and importantly, Eleven sends a van or baddies flying through the air which causes the gang to all become friends again- Lucas apologised to Eleven and shakes hands with Mike. All is well, at least within the gang.
But they’re fugitives; the baddies have successfully enlisted Mike’s wary parents and, presumably, those of both Lucas and Dustin, whose families have been conspicuously absent all season. But this just draws all the protagonists together, able at last to join forces and compare notes. If this episode, unlike the others, feel as though it’s shaped by plot necessity then, well, it is; you can imagine this all being planned on a board in a writing room. But it’s all unavoidable in a penultimate episode and shows just how good the writing has been that you don’t notice the plot structure holding everything up.
The expanded gang conjures up a makeshift sensory deprivation tank for Eleven, and we learn both that poor Barb is dead and that Will is alive, hiding, in the version of his den that exists in the Upside Down. So Joyce and Hopper head off to the lab to sneak in to the portal, but this time are well and truly caught. Meanwhile Jonathan and Nancy are off hunting again; you can tell it’s the penultimate episode. Especially as we end with a proper cliffhanger as the Demogorgon gets Will...
One more episode. Go on, let’s.
Monday, 26 August 2019
Stranger Things: Chapter One- The Vanishing of Will Byers
”Mornings are for coffee and contemplation!”
So Mrs Llamastrangler have decided to watch Stranger Things now that Atypical is up to date. Mrs Llamastrangler took some convincing as she tends to resist things which are overly popular but, well, we’re now five episodes in and it’s only the unfortunate need for adulting that’s prevented us from bingeing further. We’re hooked.
This is the first episode, and by definition has a lot of work to do. There are the gang to introduce- Will, Lucas, Mike and Dustin, first seen playing D&D. This is (I think) 1982, so I’m wondering whether this is D&D or AD&D; I hope we find out. This is America, so they’re playing in Mike’s parents’ enormous basement, and this is the early ‘80s, so they all leave on bikes and mention X-Men #134 which, if I remember correctly, is one of the Phoenix Saga issues. Ah, the rush of nostalgia. I was five in 1982; these kids would be a few years older than me.
And then we have the horror stuff. The episode started with what looked like a scientist running through a corridor into a lift, and being grabbed by the unseen monster from the lift roof. And now Will goes into the science lab next to town... and vanishes, while a lightbulb does something weird. It’s all very well shot indeed.
We also meet Will’s mum Joyce (Winona Ryder, the only famous cast member) and Mike’s family including his older sister Nancy, as the ripples of Will’s disappearance spread across town. It’s already clear that, of the three remaining kids, we will be focusing on Mike. So far, with the horror and the POV of pre-pubescent boys, it feels very much like Stephen King’s It and its adaptations. The early ‘80s setting makes storytelling easier- no mobile phones (although the plot requires Sallie talkies!), no internet- and allows us to wallow in constant nostalgia. The fashions, the card, the hairstyles are all very well done, and it all looks like an American version of my early childhood.
We also get to meet Hopper, the local sheriff, gruff and not particularly likeable, at least at this stage until we learn he’s mourning a daughter (ouch), and a fugitive child stealing food from a cafe and who seems to have some kind of psychic powers. What’s shocking is that, when the cafe owner calls social services, he is shot and killed by the “social workers”; there is clearly a cover-up to return the girl to the nearby lab. Fortunately, she escapes, and is found by the boys.
As first episodes tend to be, this is a whirlwind. But I’m getting to know the characters and intrigued by the premise. The horror is also very well shot- unlike most current horror films- and the nostalgia is fun. More please.
So Mrs Llamastrangler have decided to watch Stranger Things now that Atypical is up to date. Mrs Llamastrangler took some convincing as she tends to resist things which are overly popular but, well, we’re now five episodes in and it’s only the unfortunate need for adulting that’s prevented us from bingeing further. We’re hooked.
This is the first episode, and by definition has a lot of work to do. There are the gang to introduce- Will, Lucas, Mike and Dustin, first seen playing D&D. This is (I think) 1982, so I’m wondering whether this is D&D or AD&D; I hope we find out. This is America, so they’re playing in Mike’s parents’ enormous basement, and this is the early ‘80s, so they all leave on bikes and mention X-Men #134 which, if I remember correctly, is one of the Phoenix Saga issues. Ah, the rush of nostalgia. I was five in 1982; these kids would be a few years older than me.
And then we have the horror stuff. The episode started with what looked like a scientist running through a corridor into a lift, and being grabbed by the unseen monster from the lift roof. And now Will goes into the science lab next to town... and vanishes, while a lightbulb does something weird. It’s all very well shot indeed.
We also meet Will’s mum Joyce (Winona Ryder, the only famous cast member) and Mike’s family including his older sister Nancy, as the ripples of Will’s disappearance spread across town. It’s already clear that, of the three remaining kids, we will be focusing on Mike. So far, with the horror and the POV of pre-pubescent boys, it feels very much like Stephen King’s It and its adaptations. The early ‘80s setting makes storytelling easier- no mobile phones (although the plot requires Sallie talkies!), no internet- and allows us to wallow in constant nostalgia. The fashions, the card, the hairstyles are all very well done, and it all looks like an American version of my early childhood.
We also get to meet Hopper, the local sheriff, gruff and not particularly likeable, at least at this stage until we learn he’s mourning a daughter (ouch), and a fugitive child stealing food from a cafe and who seems to have some kind of psychic powers. What’s shocking is that, when the cafe owner calls social services, he is shot and killed by the “social workers”; there is clearly a cover-up to return the girl to the nearby lab. Fortunately, she escapes, and is found by the boys.
As first episodes tend to be, this is a whirlwind. But I’m getting to know the characters and intrigued by the premise. The horror is also very well shot- unlike most current horror films- and the nostalgia is fun. More please.
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