Eddie Munson's Guitar Solo (Slight Stranger Things Spoilers)

[Lorcan Ward]

I bet he downpicked all of it but after 50 different takes and angles his wrists were on fire.

 

[Sermo Lupi]

I really enjoyed this season. Idk why people are so negative about it in here though. It's a netflix tv series, I'm not sure what type of life changing content people thought they were going to see. Sometimes it's easier to just accept things for what they are and enjoy them than to be super critical of everything.

Eddie was the best character of the season too.

As someone who went through the first 3 seasons thinking, "Wow, how did they level up from doing such a great job with the last season?", season 4 is utter shite. The guitar stuff was so stupid I wanted to just stop everything right there, but there was only like 30 mins left to the season anyway I just let it roll. I can't think of a more in-theme analog of jumping the shark. It's such a totally different vibe from taking something distinctively from the 80s zeitgeist and giving it a nice shoutout to those that remember it, and apparently just running through a 1985 JC Penny's Catalog and being like, "Hey! Lite Brite - remember that? What if we made that a communication device between worlds because WTF". Was half expecting them to defeat the bad guy by powering up a Care Bear Stare or pulling the Sword of Omens out of a lake.

I think Stranger Things is one of the better shows Netflix has produced. It still has obvious flaws that seem endemic to 'new media', however.

The general appeal of the show (for me anyway) is that it is competently shot, that it succeeds at creating (rather than merely exploiting) nostalgia, and that it does so via a story premise that began as something relatively novel and entertaining that also stole just enough of that Spielberg coming-of-age formula to create a compelling piece of escapism.

One criticism would be that, either at the behest of Netflix or the showrunners, the direction of the show has been incoherent for the last couple seasons despite it being one of the biggest media properties of the last two decades. It certainly wouldn't be the only show Netflix has cancelled at its height, so I don't blame the showrunners for writing half-hearted endings every season as though that might be the only send-off they ever receive. True to form, this season "ended" a certain way as well, then had an extra 20-30 minutes tacked on after it as a clumsy justification for another season.

Then there's the minutiae I won't delve into because I'm not the biggest fan of the show and only watched the seasons as they came out. But I'll use Eddie as an example of how the show approaches its characters since you brought him up:

Spoiler: Final episode spoilers

So many of the character arcs of the main cast have been languishing as the show pursued other leads. The two Byers kids completely fell to the wayside, Mike became a cheerleading boyfriend, and Eleven's character development is basically that of a Duracell battery that cycles through periods of draining and recharging, merely to power other things (i.e. narratives). These are just a few examples of the dead ends that arose from substantial investment in characters in earlier seasons--in short, needless waste. Then there's what I felt was token coverage of present-day social issues like gay acceptance, foisted on these characters as a lazy way of squeezing emotional importance out of their marginalization in the story.

In their place we got some genuinely good things. Hopper's arc was fun to follow, if a bit indulgent in Soviet-era cliches. The introduction of Eddie and topics surrounding the Satanic Panic were relevant given the show's earlier focus on DnD and the cultural trends of the 80s. Yet in much the same way Bob's death in the first season seemed grossly out of proportion with his characterisation, being almost pointlessly engineered by the showrunners as a means of creating superficial "loss" that the characters must go through in season two, Eddie was sacrificed for absolutely no purpose other than to create a convenient (and heroic) end to a new character that the show had no idea what to do with. Better have him charge to his death against a bunch of bats that were not a threat to anyone anymore so that we can watch his father experience heartbreak and feel like Hawkins lost something in the process of the 'final battle'.

What makes missteps like this frustrating is that there was clearly the bones of something good there. Eddie's actor was excellent, his character had room for growth, and the chemistry with other leads (esp. Dustin) looked promising. However, unlike when it became clear what a gem Dustin's actor was and his character was given additional screen time, or how a decision was made to focus on Robin's homosexuality after the actress playing her felt the character's story should go in that direction rather than the one the showrunners had planned for her, Eddie was unceremoniously sacrificed so other characters (Steve, Nancy, Jonathon, etc.) wouldn't have to be.

I could also kvetch about the ending a bit more but I've probably rambled enough. For my part, it isn't about expecting the show to be High Art, it's more about expecting it to be consistent with its own values and story development. It's still an okay show, just one where some headscratching decisions were made.

From the guitar angle, I'm actually surprised how little that was exploited. We got Kate Bush name-dropped a dozen times and a hit song of her's played so frequently in every episode that it charted on the Billboard 200 again. Yet Eddie was the big music fan and it was just cutaway gags about his favourite bands. Why'd he run off without his prized guitar anyway? Couldn't even get any shots of him noodling in that boat while cooped up in the boathouse?

Maybe the actor doesn't actually play guitar so they didn't want to bother with the headache of miming it. Just seems weird to build his identity around a passion they barely focused on, even for all the 'build-up' screentime he got where it might've been explored.

 

[GunpointMetal]

TL;DR - this is why geeks are cooler than nerds

Man, over-analyzing Stranger Things is almost as silly as over-analyzing Marvel movies. Jump in, have fun, leave sense and continuity at the door. I saw another guitar group where someone was caught up on where exactly dude plugged his amp in since they're in the upside down. It's almost as bad as Star Wars fans pretending there is some sort of historical fact that the movies need to follow to be "accurate".

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

I think Stranger Things is one of the better shows Netflix has produced. It still has obvious flaws that seem endemic to 'new media', however.

The general appeal of the show (for me anyway) is that it is competently shot, that it succeeds at creating (rather than merely exploiting) nostalgia, and that it does so via a story premise that began as something relatively novel and entertaining that also stole just enough of that Spielberg coming-of-age formula to create a compelling piece of escapism.

One criticism would be that, either at the behest of Netflix or the showrunners, the direction of the show has been incoherent for the last couple seasons despite it being one of the biggest media properties of the last two decades. It certainly wouldn't be the only show Netflix has cancelled at its height, so I don't blame the showrunners for writing half-hearted endings every season as though that might be the only send-off they ever receive. True to form, this season "ended" a certain way as well, then had an extra 20-30 minutes tacked on after it as a clumsy justification for another season.

Then there's the minutiae I won't delve into because I'm not the biggest fan of the show and only watched the seasons as they came out. But I'll use Eddie as an example of how the show approaches its characters since you brought him up:

Spoiler: Final episode spoilers

So many of the character arcs of the main cast have been languishing as the show pursued other leads. The two Byers kids completely fell to the wayside, Mike became a cheerleading boyfriend, and Eleven's character development is basically that of a Duracell battery that cycles through periods of draining and recharging, merely to power other things (i.e. narratives). These are just a few examples of the dead ends that arose from substantial investment in characters in earlier seasons--in short, needless waste. Then there's what I felt was token coverage of present-day social issues like gay acceptance, foisted on these characters as a lazy way of squeezing emotional importance out of their marginalization in the story.

In their place we got some genuinely good things. Hopper's arc was fun to follow, if a bit indulgent in Soviet-era cliches. The introduction of Eddie and topics surrounding the Satanic Panic were relevant given the show's earlier focus on DnD and the cultural trends of the 80s. Yet in much the same way Bob's death in the first season seemed grossly out of proportion with his characterisation, being almost pointlessly engineered by the showrunners as a means of creating superficial "loss" that the characters must go through in season two, Eddie was sacrificed for absolutely no purpose other than to create a convenient (and heroic) end to a new character that the show had no idea what to do with. Better have him charge to his death against a bunch of bats that were not a threat to anyone anymore so that we can watch his father experience heartbreak and feel like Hawkins lost something in the process of the 'final battle'.

What makes missteps like this frustrating is that there was clearly the bones of something good there. Eddie's actor was excellent, his character had room for growth, and the chemistry with other leads (esp. Dustin) looked promising. However, unlike when it became clear what a gem Dustin's actor was and his character was given additional screen time, or how a decision was made to focus on Robin's homosexuality after the actress playing her felt the character's story should go in that direction rather than the one the showrunners had planned for her, Eddie was unceremoniously sacrificed so other characters (Steve, Nancy, Jonathon, etc.) wouldn't have to be.

I could also kvetch about the ending a bit more but I've probably rambled enough. For my part, it isn't about expecting the show to be High Art, it's more about expecting it to be consistent with its own values and story development. It's still an okay show, just one where some headscratching decisions were made.

From the guitar angle, I'm actually surprised how little that was exploited. We got Kate Bush name-dropped a dozen times and a hit song of her's played so frequently in every episode that it charted on the Billboard 200 again. Yet Eddie was the big music fan and it was just cutaway gags about his favourite bands. Why'd he run off without his prized guitar anyway? Couldn't even get any shots of him noodling in that boat while cooped up in the boathouse?

Maybe the actor doesn't actually play guitar so they didn't want to bother with the headache of miming it. Just seems weird to build his identity around a passion they barely focused on, even for all the 'build-up' screentime he got where it might've been explored.

A future for a character might be there, but perhaps a bit too on the nose/too esoteric for the obvious normie crowd the show is attempting to attract.

The main issue with the show is the baggage of the showrunners not wanting to upset people and kill off "legacy" characters, but yet dragging them along with a dull, boring storyline. I could've stood to see Eleven go in season 3, but here she is playing "superhero." Then when she does do her "thing," it is just so lackluster and boring, more emotion than actually being a bad ass. Much like modern female wrestling in the WWE, actually. See Becky Lynch's Wrestlemania match this year to see what I am talking about.

What the fuck was up with that final battle? For as much build up as there was (several episodes), 011 vs 001 was modern WWE level weak. There were very few actual spots. I expected much more than that.

Eddie deserved more, but because the showrunners have to drag these legacies around, we get a crowded room effect where the obvious exploitation barely factors in because of it. In the words of Joe Bob Briggs, they let the plot get in the way of the storyline.

I've heard almost unanimous positive response about Eddie's character, so what they did with it was insane. Very underutilized.

 

[bostjan]

TL;DR - this is why geeks are cooler than nerds

Man, over-analyzing Stranger Things is almost as silly as over-analyzing Marvel movies. Jump in, have fun, leave sense and continuity at the door. I saw another guitar group where someone was caught up on where exactly dude plugged his amp in since they're in the upside down. It's almost as bad as Star Wars fans pretending there is some sort of historical fact that the movies need to follow to be "accurate".

IDK why, but I find that hilarious. If they ever do a spoof of Stranger Things S4, which they are probably already filming, I hope one of the characters asks that question.

But anyway, shows and movies and whatnot can get away with a surprisingly large number of continuity errors and goofs, as long as the story and characters are good. As soon as the viewer stops caring about what the story is doing and how the characters feel, they are going to turn to whatever gives them the most enjoyment, which is typically going to be making fun of how bad it is.

 

[Dr. Caligari]

Jump in, have fun, leave sense and continuity at the door.

What, no fucking way.

"It doesn't matter that it's bad, it's supposed to be that way."

That kind of attitude is why there's so much shit in entertainment and the arts!! People not giving a fuck about things sucking!

 

[Manurack]

A friend shared this on FB last year and it made me burst out laughing

 

[GunpointMetal]

What, no fucking way.

"It doesn't matter that it's bad, it's supposed to be that way."

That kind of attitude is why there's so much shit in entertainment and the arts!! People not giving a fuck about things sucking!

It's a nostalgia vehicle and has been since S1, they just get more money for better FX each season. Looking for airtight plot lines and character arcs in sci-fi is silly.

 

[Sermo Lupi]

TL;DR - this is why geeks are cooler than nerds

Man, over-analyzing Stranger Things is almost as silly as over-analyzing Marvel movies. Jump in, have fun, leave sense and continuity at the door. I saw another guitar group where someone was caught up on where exactly dude plugged his amp in since they're in the upside down. It's almost as bad as Star Wars fans pretending there is some sort of historical fact that the movies need to follow to be "accurate".

If you're referring to my post, that's a strawman. Coherent plots and characterisation are the building blocks of storytelling; the examples I pointed out are hardly the stuff of superficial nitpicking like weighing the scientific realism of 'magic'.

For that matter, any defense of a show or movie that boils down to asking people to shut off their brain in order to enjoy it is not a good one.

Stranger Things isn't a bad show, but denying that it has flaws, or excusing those flaws because it isn't an 'important' piece of media, is as silly as the pedantry you're caricaturing.

 

[Fenriswolf]

 

[Manurack]

Stranger Things fans, call this number and you won't be disappointed, brochachos!

805-457-4992

 

[spudmunkey]

I had no idea he wasn't American.

 

[beerandbeards]

 

[Zer01]

Didn’t know young Hopper played!