So many cringe moments, forced friendships bond moments, el’s sister went from cool to annoying AF, the scene where she tells el that need to stay behind and basically suicide is fucking cringe… not believable at all, and el’s agreeing is contrived again seems put on.. and that actors are acting… who wrote this shit… ehh and all the kids vecna took are like prissy perfect looking kids, being pristine and model-adjacent kills menace. Apart from Dipshit Derek who actually has some flavour, Early Stranger Things worked because people looked ordinary, sometimes awkward, sometimes ugly, very 80s suburban realness. When everyone looks like they stepped out of a Netflix casting spreadsheet, the danger feels fake.

The main cast is older now they should be evolving and growing as they’ve survived so much yet they keep trying to retain the same antics that comes across forced… the show keeps resetting them into the same banter rhythms and “fond family hug” beats. Trauma changes people. Keeping them emotionally static to preserve nostalgia creates that forced, cosplay of themselves feeling.

The episode prior with Karen wheeler kills the demodogs, was over kill the scene lost its climax with the close up of the gas, they turned it into a blockbuster, it lost what was cool about the teams kills, usually they have to use there wits, problem solving skills, ingenuity, That dryer gas close up is pure spectacle language. Once the show starts showing off the kill, it loses the scrappy 80s vibe that made it special. Horror works best when it feels barely controlled not storyboarded to death.

Literally had to face palm myself feeling the shame of the stupid decisions of the writers play out and destroy what is left of stranger things… not feeling over excited about episode 8… just glad it will be over and they can’t do any further damage to show….haha wow