JamalSpunky
Well-Known Member
Okay, so Stranger Things 3
An issue I often have with watching movies and TV series when a black male character has a relatively large or leading role, is that often I have to separate how I feel about the production overall versus how fair a shake I think the black male character is getting. Sometimes if I can’t separate the two I may end up judging the work largely by what the black guy gets to do and how well he comes off. That may not be fair and I think for the most part I fight that off, but fuck it. At this stage of my life I won’t abide tokenism and if I see such a thing in a Star Wars movie or a Netflix TV show I’ll call it out.
So let me get the season out of the way first. Not as strong as season one which remains the gold standard for this series. There were times though in which I couldn’t decide if this season was better than season 2 though. I think during one stretch I may have watched three or four episodes back-to-back. Part of that may have been a result of me thinking something like “c’mon, this show can’t really be giving Lucas shit to do; the next episode there has to be more for him, right?” But to be honest the storyline is executed well enough that I binge because its so easy to go along with the ride. However by the time the season concluded, I decided that season #2 ultimately was better than #3? Why? Well, season two just had a better ending, real momentum down the stretch and more interesting stakes. I thought season 2 really got stronger as it wore on because the character stuff and the growing danger kept getting better. #3 suffered in its back half IMO and much of that was a result of unnecessary silliness. For example people have been praising the Steve Harrington as babysitter sequel in this current season. I too thought that was a very strong storyline in the beginning, reuniting him with Dustin and adding on the female newcomer, etc. But that plotline went down him figuratively and literally as soon as that gang got on the elevator that fell to the center of the earth nonsense. Even in a show that includes demons and teenagers with super powered abilities, that whole thing felt so fake. And pointless. Worse of all it made the adversaries(the Russians) look completely incompetent. That would perhaps be okay if we didn’t see the Russians be complete badasses when going up against the real adults, but put them up against a sassy 10-year old and they fall to shit. Ultimately this made the Steve-Dustin plot the one I liked second to least, just only ahead of Hopper and Joyce’s Nag Show.
And that led me to thinking about another thing….the show simply has/had too many characters. There were legitimately EIGHT storylines going on in need to serve all of these characters. By the end the writers had cut down those storylines to three or four by combining more cast members but by that time the damage was done.
And no character was more damaged than Lucas. Lucas was always the weak link of the four boys or better yet the Main Five kids (from season one). And that hasn’t changed in terms of what he brings to the table. Eleven is the showstopper with the incredible abilities that makes her indisposable. Dustin is the scientific genius of the bunch, the brains of the group. Will is the quiet and younger kid who nonetheless has an unwanted connection with the Demogorgon that allows him to be like an alarm system for the gang. Mike has no special abilities other than I suppose rapid growth spurts, but he is nevertheless the alpha male of the group, the leader whom others will follow. That leaves Lucas who is left with nothing. Other than a slingshot. Would be cool if he at least was the warrior of the pack or the stud athlete despite how stereotypical that may seem. At least it would be something. Even a newcomers like Max is given the trait of forceful determination and Lucas’ kid sister, Erica, can add being sensationally good with numbers to her already established capabilities of being super sassy. Lucas on the other hand is more of a blank slate, woefully underwritten and at time lacking a distinct personality.
None of this is helped by TPTB creating new characters or bringing back second season creations (like Bauman and Billy) whom they find more interesting than Lucas. The same can be said for Erica whom the writers have invested more time in personality and dialogue than they ever have in her big brother. I was worried when I read all the comments from the showrunners about how she was the breakout star of season two even in her limited time. My gut concern was that they would elevate her to a point that she would eclipse Lucas and surely enough that’s what happened.
Despite the problematic handling of Lucas in the previous seasons I felt he had at least demonstrated some agency from time to time. Whether it be him being the lone voice of the group to express doubts about El in season one or his being drawn to Max in season two. In season 3 he had no agency, especially regarding his own life and relationships. He was there to serve as a voice for Mike to listen to regarding Mike’s relationship problems. But his own relationship between him and Max was relatively ignored. Now granted the Mike-Eleven coupling has been the big one that the show has been setting up. And with Mike and El getting more serious and hot and heavy perhaps it would have been a terrible story idea to have Lucas and Max portrayed in the same manner considering their more limited history. But, hell, these writers are paid well to surprise us with their handling of these relationships, not to ignore the relationships. And that’s pretty much what they did with Lucas and Max.
Dis Lucas and Max ever have a single moment together just between themselves? Don’t remember any such moments. And the limited times they talked it was more about Eleven, Mike or Eleven and Mike. The writers did a better job of establishing Max’s new bond with Eleven than they did with her supposed boyfriend. And that’s another thing. Lucas was already suffering from being the character whose relationships with other characters came second at best to those characters’ other relationships. Mike has a stronger bond with Eleven. Dustin has a stronger connection to Steve. Will has a stronger attachment to his mom and his big bro. At least it looked after season two that Lucas could claim Max as the person whose bond with him was more of a priority for her than any other. But in this season TPTB flipped that and pretty much made Eleven her soulmate. Hell, Lucas’ sis may have stronger a bond with Dustin now for all we know.
Even more troubling we get info from Lucas that he and Max have already broken up a number of times only to get back together. This show has the audacity to make their pairing an afterthought and then add insult to injury that they aren’t serious like Mike and El. We never gotten a satisfying portrayal of them as an actual young couple, so writing in that element about their constant breakups takes investment of the audience for it out of the equation. The two of them holding on to another near the end as they watch Will and his family depart was totally unearned IMO, considering the little we got of them. And when we did get them they were so antagonistic towards one another, especially Max. Does anyone know why the fuck she broke up with Lucas near the beginning after Mike was caught in a lie? The writers weren’t invested enough to take time to show their breakup, let alone explain it and they were less inclined to demonstrate that they had agreed to date again when they reunited. Instead they had Lucas spend time trying to tell Mike about how to recognize the olive branch. Shouldn’t Lucas had been shown being given an olive branch by Max?
I’ve written this shit before but when it comes to onscreen relationships one can judge its strength by the simplest of things writers provide them. Perhaps the key demonstration is the display of concern for the other’s well-being. Barely did we get to see Lucas worry over Max this season. And we never saw Max worry about Lucas; she spent the entire season worrying about Eleven and to a lesser extent her brother, Billy. Another cheap trick of Hollywood to portray the validity of a coupling in genres such as this is that the girl gets to see her man do heroic things and save the day or save her life. Lucas saved the Max, El and Mike Group when the monster was about to find them and he used his slingshot to distract the creature, allowing them to get away. But Max and her group don’t know he was the one who did it. Also earlier Max had expressed disdain and doubt over Lucas’ grabbing of fireworks to fight off the monster. Well, his idea worked giving the group needed time to save Eleven. But Max was unconscious and in another part of the mall when that occurred. She never got to see her boyfriend prover her wrong and have his hero moment. That’s something that is naturally afforded to ALL white male characters. Worse of all when Max is breaking down into tears after the death of Billy, do TPTB have Lucas run down the stairs to comfort her? Of course not. Eleven, her soulmate, does that job.
Yeah, its nice that during a cast promotion of this season the actress who plays Max was trying to prop the relationship with comments about how adorable or great it is, blah, blah, blah. But really there was nothing there. Especially no tenderness or kissing. Makes me think that TPTB are really uncomfortable with the pairing or worry about backlash or some kind.
An issue I often have with watching movies and TV series when a black male character has a relatively large or leading role, is that often I have to separate how I feel about the production overall versus how fair a shake I think the black male character is getting. Sometimes if I can’t separate the two I may end up judging the work largely by what the black guy gets to do and how well he comes off. That may not be fair and I think for the most part I fight that off, but fuck it. At this stage of my life I won’t abide tokenism and if I see such a thing in a Star Wars movie or a Netflix TV show I’ll call it out.
So let me get the season out of the way first. Not as strong as season one which remains the gold standard for this series. There were times though in which I couldn’t decide if this season was better than season 2 though. I think during one stretch I may have watched three or four episodes back-to-back. Part of that may have been a result of me thinking something like “c’mon, this show can’t really be giving Lucas shit to do; the next episode there has to be more for him, right?” But to be honest the storyline is executed well enough that I binge because its so easy to go along with the ride. However by the time the season concluded, I decided that season #2 ultimately was better than #3? Why? Well, season two just had a better ending, real momentum down the stretch and more interesting stakes. I thought season 2 really got stronger as it wore on because the character stuff and the growing danger kept getting better. #3 suffered in its back half IMO and much of that was a result of unnecessary silliness. For example people have been praising the Steve Harrington as babysitter sequel in this current season. I too thought that was a very strong storyline in the beginning, reuniting him with Dustin and adding on the female newcomer, etc. But that plotline went down him figuratively and literally as soon as that gang got on the elevator that fell to the center of the earth nonsense. Even in a show that includes demons and teenagers with super powered abilities, that whole thing felt so fake. And pointless. Worse of all it made the adversaries(the Russians) look completely incompetent. That would perhaps be okay if we didn’t see the Russians be complete badasses when going up against the real adults, but put them up against a sassy 10-year old and they fall to shit. Ultimately this made the Steve-Dustin plot the one I liked second to least, just only ahead of Hopper and Joyce’s Nag Show.
And that led me to thinking about another thing….the show simply has/had too many characters. There were legitimately EIGHT storylines going on in need to serve all of these characters. By the end the writers had cut down those storylines to three or four by combining more cast members but by that time the damage was done.
And no character was more damaged than Lucas. Lucas was always the weak link of the four boys or better yet the Main Five kids (from season one). And that hasn’t changed in terms of what he brings to the table. Eleven is the showstopper with the incredible abilities that makes her indisposable. Dustin is the scientific genius of the bunch, the brains of the group. Will is the quiet and younger kid who nonetheless has an unwanted connection with the Demogorgon that allows him to be like an alarm system for the gang. Mike has no special abilities other than I suppose rapid growth spurts, but he is nevertheless the alpha male of the group, the leader whom others will follow. That leaves Lucas who is left with nothing. Other than a slingshot. Would be cool if he at least was the warrior of the pack or the stud athlete despite how stereotypical that may seem. At least it would be something. Even a newcomers like Max is given the trait of forceful determination and Lucas’ kid sister, Erica, can add being sensationally good with numbers to her already established capabilities of being super sassy. Lucas on the other hand is more of a blank slate, woefully underwritten and at time lacking a distinct personality.
None of this is helped by TPTB creating new characters or bringing back second season creations (like Bauman and Billy) whom they find more interesting than Lucas. The same can be said for Erica whom the writers have invested more time in personality and dialogue than they ever have in her big brother. I was worried when I read all the comments from the showrunners about how she was the breakout star of season two even in her limited time. My gut concern was that they would elevate her to a point that she would eclipse Lucas and surely enough that’s what happened.
Despite the problematic handling of Lucas in the previous seasons I felt he had at least demonstrated some agency from time to time. Whether it be him being the lone voice of the group to express doubts about El in season one or his being drawn to Max in season two. In season 3 he had no agency, especially regarding his own life and relationships. He was there to serve as a voice for Mike to listen to regarding Mike’s relationship problems. But his own relationship between him and Max was relatively ignored. Now granted the Mike-Eleven coupling has been the big one that the show has been setting up. And with Mike and El getting more serious and hot and heavy perhaps it would have been a terrible story idea to have Lucas and Max portrayed in the same manner considering their more limited history. But, hell, these writers are paid well to surprise us with their handling of these relationships, not to ignore the relationships. And that’s pretty much what they did with Lucas and Max.
Dis Lucas and Max ever have a single moment together just between themselves? Don’t remember any such moments. And the limited times they talked it was more about Eleven, Mike or Eleven and Mike. The writers did a better job of establishing Max’s new bond with Eleven than they did with her supposed boyfriend. And that’s another thing. Lucas was already suffering from being the character whose relationships with other characters came second at best to those characters’ other relationships. Mike has a stronger bond with Eleven. Dustin has a stronger connection to Steve. Will has a stronger attachment to his mom and his big bro. At least it looked after season two that Lucas could claim Max as the person whose bond with him was more of a priority for her than any other. But in this season TPTB flipped that and pretty much made Eleven her soulmate. Hell, Lucas’ sis may have stronger a bond with Dustin now for all we know.
Even more troubling we get info from Lucas that he and Max have already broken up a number of times only to get back together. This show has the audacity to make their pairing an afterthought and then add insult to injury that they aren’t serious like Mike and El. We never gotten a satisfying portrayal of them as an actual young couple, so writing in that element about their constant breakups takes investment of the audience for it out of the equation. The two of them holding on to another near the end as they watch Will and his family depart was totally unearned IMO, considering the little we got of them. And when we did get them they were so antagonistic towards one another, especially Max. Does anyone know why the fuck she broke up with Lucas near the beginning after Mike was caught in a lie? The writers weren’t invested enough to take time to show their breakup, let alone explain it and they were less inclined to demonstrate that they had agreed to date again when they reunited. Instead they had Lucas spend time trying to tell Mike about how to recognize the olive branch. Shouldn’t Lucas had been shown being given an olive branch by Max?
I’ve written this shit before but when it comes to onscreen relationships one can judge its strength by the simplest of things writers provide them. Perhaps the key demonstration is the display of concern for the other’s well-being. Barely did we get to see Lucas worry over Max this season. And we never saw Max worry about Lucas; she spent the entire season worrying about Eleven and to a lesser extent her brother, Billy. Another cheap trick of Hollywood to portray the validity of a coupling in genres such as this is that the girl gets to see her man do heroic things and save the day or save her life. Lucas saved the Max, El and Mike Group when the monster was about to find them and he used his slingshot to distract the creature, allowing them to get away. But Max and her group don’t know he was the one who did it. Also earlier Max had expressed disdain and doubt over Lucas’ grabbing of fireworks to fight off the monster. Well, his idea worked giving the group needed time to save Eleven. But Max was unconscious and in another part of the mall when that occurred. She never got to see her boyfriend prover her wrong and have his hero moment. That’s something that is naturally afforded to ALL white male characters. Worse of all when Max is breaking down into tears after the death of Billy, do TPTB have Lucas run down the stairs to comfort her? Of course not. Eleven, her soulmate, does that job.
Yeah, its nice that during a cast promotion of this season the actress who plays Max was trying to prop the relationship with comments about how adorable or great it is, blah, blah, blah. But really there was nothing there. Especially no tenderness or kissing. Makes me think that TPTB are really uncomfortable with the pairing or worry about backlash or some kind.
