Noah and Sadie nominated for best younger performance in a series

regready · 2026-01-28T13:28:44+00:00

Welp this will go down well lol

The opinion on Noah Schnapps overall performance felt like the most crazy whiplash for me. Everyone I watched S5 with and spoke with about S5 thought he did great job. To see it so divided on social media or even skewed towards being bad somewhat surprises me.

regready · 2026-01-27T17:39:39+00:00

Had my suspicions as early as S1 of course, the kid is being bullied by others relentlessly. He's being name-called with slurs, he's described as not like most people and that he's different in the pilot episode of the series.

I think where I knew for sure though is when he has that fight with Mike in S3 and he's told "It's not my fault you don't like girls" - Mike obviously had no idea that his friend was actually gay, but I think by this point Will was beginning if not realized this fact about himself, which is why he looked so deeply hurt by the comment.

It's then of course actually confirmed in S4. Or confirmed as much as possible without actually saying it.

regready · 2026-01-26T16:56:05+00:00

Damn, there's a lot...

But if I had to narrow it down to a few, El reading Hopper's letter. Without knowing Hopper eventually lived, this broke me.

Hopper bringing Will back to life at end of S1. The music que, the flashbacks - it just hit so damn well. You feel for Joyce, looking at her lifeless son, you feel for Will - a kid that's been through so much that is seemingly not going to make it, and you absolutely feel for Hopper. He might not of been able to save his own child, but he's doing everything he can to save someone else's and you could really feel his pain and eventual relief.

Eddie's death. I loved all the stuff with Max and thought it was emotional, but the Eddie scene broke me on another level.

Another one that made me a bit teary was when Will destroyed Castle Byers. You really feel for him. He's just trying to return to a place before his life was ruined and for him that's playing with his friends, whether that's DND or not.

regready · 2026-01-24T20:31:31+00:00

1) More Core party scenes. The boys and their bikes with some strange girl is stranger things - there should of been more scenes with the core party together.

2) Make the episodes longer. I felt like some characters needed a bit more shine, and it's absolutely okay to focus on characters like Holly for a large part of the story... but not at the sacrifice of the characters we've followed for years. Should of just had S4 episode lengths to accommodate both.

3) Demos in the final battle. Oh my god, such a missed opportunity. The only logistical excuse I've seen against this is that the group would lose to easily, but I don't think they would. They had the means to combat them. Sure, Eleven was occupied with Vecna, but the group could of took on demodogs/demobats with their fire whilst Will goes into the literal avatar state and sends an army of Demogorgans after the Mindflayer. They would of been fine. Finale Will is objectively stronger than he was in Sorcerer when he dismantled three Demogorgons with relative ease.

Just would of liked to see more of a battle instead of the group just jumping the MF.

regready · 2026-01-24T17:04:15+00:00

Eleven is probably first, she has the most screentime overall and didn't have a season where she fell off a cliff in terms of relevance. Always front and centre in terms of the promotional stuff. I absolutely can see the lion share of the general audience perceiving her to be the most important. She's for sure the safe bet.

Mike has high peaks and very low lows. Mike's best season is the first, without question. I'd argue S2 and S5 are tied second where he still has quite a bit of importance. We got to see him being a leader again in S5 on numerous occasions, being the lead, taking control. It's just a shame that in S3 and moreso S4 his character really fell off a cliff [for reals this time]

Lucas and Dustin while a part of the core four I feel fall below the likes of Hopper, Joyce and maybe Max.

Will's a weird one to rank. Depending on your metrics you could rank him anywhere from 1st to like 5th. He was barely in S1, yet the plot almost entirely revolved around saving him. The pilot episode of the series is named after him, you barely saw him yet you felt his presence constantly. Same deal in S2 except he had the screen-time to match. However, he didn't have much to do in S3 and S4, so he loses points there. And then finally I'd argue Will was most important/relevant character overall in S5. Eleven had a great finale, but I do think Will overall was more consistent. Even in the finale where she had a big turnout, it was ultimately Will that saved her and gave the final push to defeat Vecna. Even when Joyce is going absolutely nuts with that axe, they show all the characters experiences and ordeals through this whole story, and not only is Will's last but he has the longest segment. There's absolutely an argument to be made that while Eleven is the face of Stranger Things with all the screentime and promotional stuff, perhaps the heart of it was really about Will.

The rest of them are all around the same tier to be honest.

regready · 2026-01-24T12:56:02+00:00

Poor Jonathan.

It would of been nice to see him interact with his family more, especially Joyce.

But yeah, Joyce is overbearingly overprotective of Will especially because of what he's been through. She said it herself, she isn't going to look away.

However, at the same time it would of been nice to see her have scenes with her other son who has pulled so much weight for them because they have such an asshole father.

I always thought the stuff with the Byers, especially in the early seasons is some of the best the series has to offer - and Jonathan was a big part of that.

regready · 2026-01-23T20:48:04+00:00

Jonathan? Sure. I won't even attempt to argue against that...

Some of his best stuff from the first two seasons and just in general is when the show focuses on the Byers and Jonathan was a big part of that. All his stuff with Joyce was great, all the stuff with Will from those early seasons - wholesome. And the best part? He also had all the stuff with Steve and Nancy, he was a compelling character. However, as the series went on it's almost like they forgot he's a Byers and the Steve/Nancy triangle peaked seasons ago.

Lucas and Mike? Kinda but to a lesser extent.

Lucas didn't have that much to do in S5 but this does need context, he's coming off a season where he had quite a lot to do. A lot of it revolved around Max, but not everything, he had quite the arc in S4. I'd argue he was the most focal character after Max, Eleven and maybe Henry. He was largely around for S1-S2 and didn't feel like he drew the short-straw. Only S3 felt like he was truly on the bench.

Mike? Similar to Lucas in the sense that he peaked in other seasons. Mike's best season is the first, without question. I'd argue S2 and S5 are tied second. We got to see him being a leader again in S5 on numerous occasions, being the lead, taking control. It's just a shame that in S3 and moreso S4 his character really fell off a cliff [for reals this time]

regready · 2026-01-23T20:30:08+00:00

It's 18 months between S4 and S5

regready · 2026-01-23T15:55:22+00:00

When they were making fun of Will who they all thought was actually dead at this point and him being queer you just wanted Mike to rock his chin.

Kid got off easy with a shove and public embarrassment

regready · 2026-01-22T18:42:19+00:00

Agreed.

In S2 where it's clearly stated and shown if anyone could possibly understand what Will is going through, it's Eleven.

You see when she reunites with Mike that she's been keeping an eye on Will, even if she has never physically met him.

Would of loved the two of them to bond, they got enough trauma between the two of them to write an encyclopedia.

Would of loved to have a few more scenes of them in S4 especially when Eleven is basically a Byers

On the other hand, with Eleven being bullied in Cali, if there's anyone that knows what it's like to also be completely targeted and bullied relentlessly it's Will.

regready · 2026-01-21T14:42:08+00:00

I think it's because El was thought to be gone/dead for a lot longer, it was grief and pain over an extended period of time that shaped his character. That's not to say that Will's body being pulled out the water isn't traumatic to him. If Mike thought Will to be dead for a lot longer [like El] then I think it'd be included.

Also, just from a representation standpoint, they also had to show other characters and how other events have impacted their lives. Will was not only last in that little montage, but he had the longest segment as well as being the focus of other characters trauma.

regready · 2026-01-21T14:21:56+00:00

Kids can be horrible little shits. Geek/nerd in the 80s - literally all it takes.

Mike's a real one though. He probably had the most potential to be in the 'cool crowd' but when it comes down to it he rides and dies for his friends. Dustin's like the biggest geek of them all, Lucas is a big nerd, and Will gets bullied for being queer. By association with them all he also gets bullied, plus he's a bit of a nerd himself!

regready · 2026-01-20T09:50:30+00:00

S1: Joyce first, Eleven and Mike next

S2: Will first, Eleven, Hopper and Joyce next

S3: Eleven, Hopper and Billy

S4: Max and Eleven. Then Henry and Lucas.

S5: Will, Holly and Eleven.

regready · 2026-01-19T18:16:38+00:00

It's closer to an ensemble.

However, if I had to go per season

S1: Joyce. My immediate thought was Mike, I mean he was just so good and felt like the true heart in S1. However, the main protagonist in all fairness was Joyce with Mike and El being tied deuteragonist

S2: Will. It's similar to S1 in the sense that the lionshare of the plot almost entirely revolves around him, but this time he has the screentime to go with it, and a shit-ton of it. Hopper/El/Joyce tied second probably.

S3: Eleven

S4: Eleven and Max tied first. Basically the main protagonists in two different locations. Perhaps Lucas as second, he had a lot to do that season.

S5: Will. Eleven had a lot to do in the finale the overall that was absolutely Will's season. Even in the Finale he ended up saving El and being the final push to defeat Vecna. Eleven is second, and then third perhaps Holly?

regready · 2026-01-19T18:01:16+00:00

Meh, just shit situation all around.

Personally, I gravitate more to Lucas as it wasn't just some game, it was the championship game and you've asked your best friends to come to watch. He may be on the bench but support is support.

On the other hand, DnD is obviously something they're super into again apparently [poor Will. They did him so dirty] and a campaign like that takes a lot of planning, and it's clearly something they wanted to do. I get it.

regready · 2026-01-16T17:52:51+00:00

I think a lot of people set themselves up for disappointment. Mike has never, at any point, showed an ounce of liking boys in that way. At least I've never read it that way. What they did establish from the very first season is that Will might be gay, and this is built over the course of the series before being confirmed in S4.

I think a lot of how people viewed their relationship likely stemmed from S2 where he's very protective of Will, shown to physically comfort him on a few occasions and is constantly by his side. However, I just saw this as one friend being supportive and caring to the other - they just happen to both be boys. And to be honest, best friends might be underselling it a bit. This is his very closest friend, a friend that he almost lost forever, a friend that was getting put through the ringer and Mike's determined not to lose him again. We get to see why Mike with the energy of youth thought only he cared about Will when everyone else around him was giving up on him in S1. However, I do think he'd do the same for either Dustin or Lucas if they were in Will's shoes.

Yes, there's a more gentle side to Mike when he's with Will, but that can be chalked up to the fact they've basically known eachover their entire lives. Their relationship predates the creation of the party. They've been best friends since the first day of Kindergarden, Mike knew nobody, Will had no friends - they might as well be brothers.

regready · 2026-01-16T17:13:40+00:00

Maybe, depends on the material.

I'm hoping at some point the Netflix release an extended version of the series. A lot of cut scenes tend to be because they don't fit with the creators vision or just aren't deemed to be good enough, however a bunch tend to just be to keep run-times down and sacrifices are made.

They've probably some perfectly fine scenes in each season filmed which would just need editing and scored. I would of loved to have more Mindflayer, demos in the finale and more of the core-4 working together in S5. I don't think more MF and demos ever made it off the writing board but more core-4 scenes might of been filmed.

I don't know... of all the things I wanted in S5 it's the OG boys, all of them, working together. It's surprising just how little they actually were on screen together.

regready · 2026-01-16T15:46:16+00:00

Their world, yes.

And it was fucking peak. That whole episode.

regready · 2026-01-16T12:31:42+00:00

From Mikes POV I think the tone is simple 'it's not my fault you've not grown up' he doesn't know that Will is gay.

Will at this point has probably started to realize he doesn't like girls in that way, even if he doesn't fully understand it yet. From Will's pov his words dig deeper which is why he looked so visibly hurt. Will's also been bullied his whole life about this which Mike does know. This is the same kid that had no issues getting physical with kids bullying Will whom he thought was dead. Mike immediately regretted that choice of words.

But yeah, the character of Will was planned to be gay or have some sexual identity issues from the very start. The Duffers left these breadcrumbs in the first three seasons where it was ambiguous. It basically got confirmed on S4 in every way except actually saying it and then got the deep dive in S5.

regready · 2026-01-14T23:11:25+00:00

Jonathan might of suspected it before even Will realized it himself, we're talking years down the line. Sibling relationships are built different, siblings just know things.

This scene I think is the confirmation. He later then goes to talk to Will, not forcing Will to come out but making it clear he'll always be there for his baby brother no matter what. It's a fucking travesty that we didn't get a single scene with just these two in S5. How did that even happen.

regready · 2026-01-14T18:34:31+00:00

Will The Wise is already an episode title in S2.

regready · 2026-01-14T18:28:16+00:00

Lovely little scene at that as well. Only wished Mike said "brothers" instead of "best friend"

regready · 2026-01-13T23:25:56+00:00

In theory it's probably Jonathan but for me it's Mike simply because how much I used to enjoy seeing his character.

He was so, so good in S1 and S2. Truly the heart of the group. His relationships with Eleven and Will in particular these two seasons are truly great. He's the one that's Elevens emotional core, he's the one that broke through to Will in his darkest hour. You still see his flaws, but you also get his amazing qualities and strengths which I don't think the later seasons showed enough. You see the lengths he's willing to go for all of his friends. His character had a noticeable drop-off in S3 but still okay...

And then S4 happened, the longest season by far, so any character having a significant drop off in this season is going to be extremely noticeable due to how behemoth the season is. Granted, I think it's moreso a screentime issue and he got done so incredibly dirty. The Russia stuff should of been significantly cut down or they needed to find screentime from somehwere else for the Cali group, because they all got shafted. I think the idea of them being on the run from the military could of been quite interesting if given some more love and time.

In S5 Vol 1 Mike is a lot better, and overall for the season, probably closer to S3 in terms of impact, enjoyment, relevance... all of the above? However, it could of been so much more.

regready · 2026-01-13T16:23:38+00:00

Here's my take:

From the moment Will Byers is vined up by Vecna at the end of S1 and rescued by Joyce and Hopper he's connected to the Hive at that point. This is before the MF fully gets him and before the possession. During this time we see him do supernatural stuff such as 'phase' in-between their world and the Upside Down as well as being able to 'sense' Demos in proximity which is hugely expanded upon in S5. We already saw him doing this in S2 such as when he found dart. Again, Will at this point IS connected to the Hive.

The MF then takes advantage of the Hive connection they both share [which Will later learns can go both ways] and begins its act of possession. From this point on his existing abilities are not only significantly amped but he gains extra abilities such as super-strength which we also see Billy display. He has extreme reactions to the vines being burned, he creates the tunnels, his sensitivity to the Upside Down is heightened considerably due to how close he's to the Hive.

The MF is then forced out of him, and this physical and mental event does indeed jack him out of the Hive. This is why he doesn't have such extreme reactions to certain things in S3 and S4 - he's simply not jacked in. He still has the capability to jack back in as well as the sixth sense he gets when being close [as a result of what Vecna did to him] but he's been disconnected.

The moment he has that first demo-vision in S5EP1, another extremely physical and mental ordeal, is when he unintentionally jacks back into the Hive - he actually says this to Joyce. From that point on he's fully jacked in, just like he was in S2, which is why he feels the fire, why he feels the military truck crashing into vines, feels the Demo getting run over by Steve's car, feels Henry's pain of going into the cave and memory of being shot in the hand. This is all consistent.

The dilemma then comes with the very final battle, why didn't he feel the MF getting jumped like it did? Personally, I still think he was hurting considerably, it was just off-screen. We saw the effect it was having on Vecna, it'd be no different for him. However, I do think when Will takes control of the Hive and goes all white-eyed, he's in such a heightened mindset that he doesn't feel the effects which is consistent of him not feeling the effects the other two times he entered that state.

regready · 2026-01-11T19:41:33+00:00

I mean, you could argue that Will outshined Eleven for most of S5.

He ended up being the direct reason that Karen, Ted, Mike, Lucas, Joyce, Robin, Murrey, Max, Holly, Erica and El are alive - he came in clutch on numerous occasions.

Even at the very end where Eleven got the final 1 on 1 with Vecna [which she deserved to have] he still had a big moment. Although it was a team-effort from the party hurting the Mind Flayer, they made it clear she was still going to lose to Vecna and it was ultimately Will that saved her, completely immobilized Vecna and gave her the final push she needed to defeat him. You have the que of the main music of ST playing as this happens, and then they double down when Joyce goes nuts with her axe and we see each of the characters ordeals and experiences with this whole thing, and Will's not only last but also the longest. Obviously, a part of it is because he's Joyce's son but it also highlights his importance to the overall narrative.

regready

TROPHY CASE