#basically mike's reaction to bob's death

[elshopper]

Something In Common

Fandom: Stranger Things

Rating: T, Canon Character Death

WC: 1,722

Summary:

The screams. The gunshots. The screeches. He heard Hopper’s voice; it was loud and booming. Reverberating off the cinder block wall and out to where he was holding Will up as best as he could. He couldn’t make out what Hopper was saying, but as loud as he was, Mike knew that Hopper, Mrs. Byers, and Bob needed to get out. Now.

OR

Mike’s reaction and internal monologue during one of the most intense, slow-but-fast scenes in S2. Canon compliant. Bob’s death is included, but isn’t too terribly descriptive. This is my first work to ever post, so please read and review if you wanna!

Read below, or on AO3

The second he heard it, he knew what it was.

The screams. The gunshots. The screeches. He heard Hopper’s voice; it was loud and booming. Reverberating off the cinder block wall and out to where he was holding Will up as best as he could. He couldn’t make out what Hopper was saying, but as loud as he was, Mike knew that Hopper, Mrs. Byers, and Bob needed to get out. Now.

And the even more sickening feeling – the one that had made a home in the pit of his stomach the second Bob Newby began his mission – told him that Bob wasn’t with them anymore.

That feeling turned into an assumption when he saw Hopper all but carry Mrs. Byers out of the lab. It was happening slowly, but all at once. Like a weird dream where he was running as fast as he could, but always seemed to get nowhere.

“WHAT HAPPENED?” he yelled at no one in particular, still struggling holding up Will’s dead weight. He was the first to admit he wasn’t the strongest person, at least not physically. But he was doing his best.

His question – the one that tugged on his vocal chords and made his eyes water – was only answered by Mrs. Byers’s indiscernible wailing.

Both Hopper and Joyce’s attention seemed to be on the doors to the lab. Just as Mike followed Joyce’s gaze, three or four of those… things… scared the absolute shit out of him. They crashed their full bodyweight into the doors, cracking the glass further with each sickening hit. The doors shuddered under their force. They wouldn’t hold forever.

But Joyce was still fighting Hopper to get back in.

“HE’S GONE! HE’S GONE!”

That assumption from before shifted to fact in his mind.

Shit. No he’s not. We need him. He was Bob the Brain.

Out of the blue it seemed, Mike heard a car horn. His head whipped around, and he breathed a tiny sigh of relief when he saw Jonathan (and his sister?) screech to a halt in front of them. Hopper was scooping up Will, and it was time to make a move to get in the car and hightail it away from this hell hole. With the quickness of things, he didn’t have time to think about Bob, or the loss of him. He didn’t have time to ask questions. He didn’t have time to scream (although he felt like it).

“Come on, get in!” Jonathan yelled from the driver’s seat.

It took him what seemed like ages, but Mike felt himself move. The first move he made was to steal a glance through the glass doors into the lab. He didn’t know why. Maybe it was because he felt as though he owed it to Bob. Or maybe because he felt it was time for him to man up a little. It was truly terrifying, this reality. It was one he could only dream up on a lonely Saturday, scribbling notes for their next campaign. But this one was real, and happening all around him. All of his senses engaged, it struck him that this reality would never leave him for as long as he lived. He glanced.

Inside was Bob, being mauled by at least six of those things. Maybe seven. He was lifeless, and bloody – the beasts taking everything from him. Disregarding the person that he was, or what he meant to the people outside the doors they were still fighting so hard to break down. It was a quick glance, and as he turned away he felt his eyes water, and he swallowed some vomit that crept up the back of his throat.

Breaking his terrifying brush with the gory scene, Mrs. Byers clung to Mike almost immediately after Hopper lifted Will over his shoulder.

“Come on!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Mike kept repeating to her, feeling a sharp shortness in his breath. Was it?

To the best of his ability, he pushed her in the direction of the car and helped her inside. Once he, Will, and Mrs. Byers were in the backseat, Hopper slammed the door and dashed off in the direction of his Blazer. Jonathan stepped on the gas. Mike stared numbly ahead at Jonathan’s headrest as Nancy tried to ask him a million questions, but he blocked them out. He was sure if he opened his mouth to say something, he’d color the backseat of Jonathan’s car with his lunch.

They sped ahead as Jonathan honked at… Lucas? Dustin? Max? Well, shit. And was that Steve? They jumped out of the way. As Jonathan stepped harder on the gas, he turned to see them all pile in the back of the Blazer through the back window.

Once it hit him that they were free from the lab, he let out a shaky “Woah,” and Jonathan and Nancy nodded in silent agreement. Joyce, however, was anything but silent.

Mrs. Byers was frantic. He couldn’t imagine it – he couldn’t fathom losing someone you love like that. To see them, right in front of you, and then to see them be taken. Gone. And even though Mike knew Mrs. Byers couldn’t have done anything to stop it, she probably felt the guilt and stabbing pain that followed a gruesome loss like the one he’d just seen. It was all too eerily familiar, and seemed like an odd case of déjà vu until the realization hit him in the gut with the force of something like a train.

If Bob couldn’t even get out, there’s no way. No way Eleven survived a year with those… those things.

A terrifying image flashed across his mind – one that would come to haunt him for the rest of his life – and he doubled over in his seat, truly battling the vomit this time. He understood this. This loss and terror and guilt and pain. Because he had felt it himself, about a year ago. It had been growing – festering – inside him all this time. Hope was the only thing keeping him trudging forward, like a little candle still glowing amidst a dark room. That candle had been keeping those terrible, dreadful feelings at bay for so long.

Eleven was a miracle, the very definition of one. And she was capable of performing them too, he’d seen it. These miracles, to him, had meant that extraordinary light existed in the darkest of places. But just now, doubled over in the back of Jonathan’s car, that little candle extinguished with a dull hiss.

Eleven was gone. Long gone. He had known this for a while, too. How foolish he’d been, all those days he spent calling to her on the radio. Or riding his bike around Mirkwood last winter. Or planning out what he would say to her when she finally stepped back through his basement door. He had planned to thank her for everything she did for them. Introduce her to Will, finally. Show her back to the fort of sheets he proudly kept up for her return (despite his mother’s griping). Hug her as tightly as he could – or as she would allow him – and explain to her what he was too chicken to say in the cafeteria last year.

But all of that was a stupid waste of time.

Eleven was gone, and so was Bob. And now, he had to make sure Mrs. Byers was okay. So they could save Will.

“Mrs. Byers,” he choked out. She looked at him, but her eyes looked vacant and sick. He had no idea what to say. What would he want someone to say to him?

“I’m really sorry,” he whisper-spoke, his voice cracking.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she managed to say in between shaky sobs. The vacancy in her eyes faded just a little. She moved her left arm around his shoulders and hugged him as she wiped at the stale tears that wet her cheeks with her free hand. “I’m sorry. You should have never had to see that.”

Her breathing was still sporadic, and every now and again she closed her eyes and held back a quiet sob. But she was doing her best to comfort a traumatized Mike as his eyes started to cloud with tears.

It was like her to put on a brave face around her kids, around him. She was selfless that way, she could tell how broken he was.

The entire car ride back to the Byers’ house, Jonathan’s car was full of sniffles, shallow breaths, and the comforting and low pulse of the songs on the radio. Not many words were spoken, but Joyce knew she had people to be strong for. They weren’t going to be able to help her son (sleeping limp to her right) if she was a complete mess. So, she forced all of that unstable energy to focus on being something solid for Mike to hold on to for the time being. How could she forget? He had lost someone too.

Despite the murky circumstance, Mike did feel as warm as he had in a long time. Will’s mom had always given great hugs. He could remember scraping his knee in Will’s front driveway, and Mrs. Byers wrapping him up in a big hug despite his hysterics. She bandaged him up and sent him back out to play with Will again. Healed.

He wasn’t surprised she was trying to do the same thing now. Although this wound was different from a bloodied knee, and the stinging pain never seemed to die this time, they were bearing it together. They all were.

“Bob,” Mike started. Nancy stirred in the front seat to look at him through the rearview mirror. Mrs. Byers glanced over, her incessant arm-rubbing coming to a stop. She looked as though wasn’t ready to hear Bob’s name out loud just yet, but she endured it like Bactine spray on a flesh wound.

“I don’t know how we’re going to do this without him,” Mike concluded.

Mrs. Byers didn’t say anything – just a brief nod of the head - but she looked at Mike with understanding and solidarity. The look made him capable of taking a deep breath and swallowing that lack of faith that had just cracked the surface. She was with him.

They did have something in common, after all.

AN: 

Hi, thank you for reading!

I had this sitting on my computer for what seemed like forever, but I’m weirdly proud of it and thought it would be a shame if no one ever read it… so here it is! I know it’s sad, but thinking that Mike had lost all that hope only hours before makes El’s return all the more gratifying to me… idk.

I got the idea from the scene where Max is talking to Mike about El and he says, “Until that thing got her” (hence why I use the word things to refer to the demo-dogs in Mike’s mind) and it struck me as Mike seeing the demo-dogs killing so many people, including Bob, kind of confirmed to him that they may have gotten El too. 

To give complete credit, the idea for this struck me when I was reading an anonymous ask about this scene someone sent in to @themikewheelers a while ago. I wish I could find the exact post, but I don’t have any idea how long its been. I live for her analysis of the show, though, so its worth a mention!!

This is my first work in this fandom, and first one ever to actually post, so thanks again for reading, I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed!!!!

-M

[strangeswift]

Okay guys

So my best friend previously hadn't seen ST, and I assumed she'd never watch it, so I ranted about Byler to her a lot, not worrying about spoilers. So she knows pretty much everything about Byler because I never shut up. But recently she decided she actually wanted to watch ST, and she wanted to watch it together. So we binged S1 a few weeks ago. She did very well, picked up on Mike's queer coding (and Will's but I knew she would), and basically she just had correct reactions to everything. Love her.

Anyway, we're watching season two now, and she's doing very well, but I am going to hell because she is very attached to Bob and I haven't let on that he dies. If anything I've encouraged her to get attached to Bob. She mentioned "Joyce and Hopper would actually make a cute couple but I stan Bob" and I played completely dumb about Jopper endgame and Bob's death. I was like "Hmm yeah I could see that but we love Bob!"

And she doesn't expect me to hold back spoilers because I spoiled everything regarding Byler, so I think she's gonna caught off guard and absolutely destroyed. But I need to live vicariously through her because when I watched the first time I spent the entire season thinking Bob was an evil spy or something because he seemed too good to be true, so his death didn't hit me like it should have and I regret that because I love angst.

P.S. She's a trooper for watching with me because when I get that excited I stim constantly. Like something cute happens and I'm slapping the couch or shaking my hands, I can't help it. I imagine it's distracting.

[wolffyluna]

TMA Liveblog: Eps 91-95: Well That Escalated Quickly

Two avatars in the space of three episodes?

91: I find Mike’s outwardly affable persona really interesting.

I also find it interesting that as soon as Jon knows he can compel people, he basically decides to just-- use it? All the time? Regardless of whether it’s a good idea. Which is how Jon do, but--

Way back, in Ep 46, I was a bit ‘???’ at the thing chasing Mike. It definitely looked like a Spiral entity, but Mike was definitely connected to the Vast. I thought that maybe Vast things often looked like Spiral things, because there’s only so many ways you can describe something as humanoid and have it be scary. ...nope, apparently it was the Spiral all along! I was overthinking this!

I also appreciate the fact that Johnny the Author is aware of the terror of the weather. I’ve seen too many ~modern authors who just assume that weather is boring, because it is boring and tame if you stay inside shelter all the time, and are always confident you can get to shelter. It’s nice to see a horror author recognise that The Atmosphere Can Kill You and This Is Scary.

...I’m a bit surpised at how quickly Mike got killed! I expected him to be running around for a bit after giving his backstory, but nope!

And Jon is going to try and compel Elias, which is such a bad idea. Guys, you are aware that Elias is a Bigger and Scarier Eye thing than Jon, right? At the very least Daisy should be aware. And yet.

92: This episode is beautiful chaos! That’s very hard to analyse!

Two takeaways, other than the obvious chaos: Elias’ “Basira is now tied to the Institute. All of you are. Like fingers on a hand.” vs Michael’s “Does you hand own your stomach?”

And Daisy might be connected to something. Elias: “justice? No, there are plenty of other rabid dogs out there, mad with the hunt.” The hunt might not be a proper noun-- but it might be. I wonder if it’s fear of predation, or something else, if it is a proper noun.

Also I find it interesting how much the Archivist’s powers/Eye powers require not being hand fed the information. I don’t know how much that is thematic, and how much that is ‘If Jon could just get all the information, it would be a pretty boring story.’

93: I like the little opener with the Admiral. It’s cute.

...The closer is good too. Even if it might be an ‘As You Know Bob’, it’s a least one with a fair amount of emotional weight? I can’t bring myself to mind it.

94: I love the tone of this one! And poor Georgie!

"The moment that you die will feel exactly the same as this one." is such a good line to be used a supernatural force of dispair. It’s not pat, but you can totally see how in the right (supernatural) circumstances it can cause someone to crash.

And it’s interesting how apparently Georgie can’t feel fear. But a little concerning, considering how greebly things seem to escalate until they can get a reaction from you--

Statements are exhausting, which is a little... weird? concerning? especially if they are meant to be supernatural sustenance?

95: I love Basira. She has good priorities as a captive.

...I have no clue about the entity behind this one. Mostly because capital D-Death and violent death seem to be different things? And like, this has the hallmarks of Violent Death-- it follows the military, for a start, just like the train car Melanie encountered. But firing squads... feel different, for lack of a better word? They’re about the death and inevitably thereof in a way a massacre isn’t.

I don’t know. I don’t know the number and arrangement of all the entities anyway yet, so I’m not really in a good position to tease out the violent death--fear of predation--capital D-Death cluster.

[sulietsexual]

Could you elaborate why you were dissapointed in season 3 of Stranger Things? I haven't seen it yet but feel free to spoil stuff, already saw tons of gifsets on here.

royalweirdonj said:Thoughts on Stranger Things 3?

Okay, so I have some mixed feelings about this season, so I’ll talk about both the good and the bad and why I was ultimately disappointed with this season (at least in part). So we’ll start with …

What I Liked 

First and foremost, I absolutely loved what they did with El’s character development and characterisation this season. El is a character who hasn’t really had the chance to grow or develop because she’s always so isolated and/or going through so much trauma. In Season 1 she was basically just a traumatised child and in Season 2 Hopper kept her very isolated and her weird sojourn to find her mother and her sister didn’t feel authentic to me. But this season finally gave her the opportunity to start to develop her own sense of self and I loved that, especially the medium through which she did so, ie her friendship with Max.

We’ve all wanted this friendship since Season 2 but I don’t think that any of us realised how glorious it would be. El is a reserved and unsure character (when she’s not being pushed to save everyone) and so she really needed someone like Max in her corner, someone who was loud and assertive, who would stand up for her when she couldn’t stand up for herself and who could show her how to be more dominant and make her own boundaries and rules. I loved the shopping montage, particularly the part where Max helped her pick out clothes that felt like her (”Not like Hopper or Mike, but like you.”), as well as their sleepovers, the way they investigated everything together and the bond which formed from them being the only girls in a group of boys who didn’t always understand each other. It was a really sweet and organic friendship and I’m so glad that the Duffers decided to develop it.

And speaking of friendships, I also adored the dynamic between Steve and Robyn, the way the show turned what we all thought would be a romantic relationship on its head and instead turned it into a sweet and snarky friendship between two people who genuinely liked one another. Robyn herself was a great character and her presence on the show greatly improved the overall tone. I loved how smart and quirky and snarky she was and Mia Hawke really made the character feel authentic. And I really loved the subversion of her and Steve’s relationship and her coming out scene. Steve Harrington proved what an absolute cinnamon roll he is with his reaction to her coming out; I loved that his only response was to tell her that she needed better taste in women and I loved that in the Three Months Later sequence they were still besties looking for jobs in the same place so they could stick together. 

Steve Harrington remained the awesome character he’s always been. Loved that his and Dustin’s friendship is still so intact and that they still care about one another so much. Also loved him sneaking the other kids into the movies on a regular basis. And I liked how the series demonstrated that while he isn’t book smart, he’s smart in other ways, such as figuring out where the music on the recording came from or using the vial of green substance to jam the elevator door open. It shows that he knows how to think on his feet and that he pays attention to his surroundings and is street-smart. I love what they’re doing with his character, allowing him to continue to grow into a more kind, smart and compassionate character with every season.

Also, I loved seeing Science Teacher Scott Clarke again! I missed him in Season 2, so seeing his epic reappearance was amazing! Wish he’d been in more than just one episode.

Characters aside (although, I should mention that I love Joyce Beyers more with every season, her “Mom Voicing” the Government was brilliant and I liked that they touched on her grief over Bob’s death) but that aside, the season felt really well-paced. Only having eight episodes meant that the story progressed quickly and there wasn’t a lot of filler, which was good. There was also so much excitement and action going on that it was very easy to binge-watch the whole season. That being said, I feel like the season changed direction mid-way through, which brings me to …

What I Didn’t Like

Following on from the previous paragraph, I feel like Season 3 started as a character-based season and then quickly switched to a plot-driven season (and on an added note, I was kind of annoyed that the plot this season was literally the same as last season ie the Mind Flayer has taken over someone close to one of the party members and they have to close the gate to stop them - again. Also, the subplot with the Russians was kind of lame). 

There was so much characterisation laid down in the first half of the season which was then kind of forgotten about in the second half once the action got underway and then was never resolved. Will spends most of the first three or four episode lamenting his lost childhood and desperately trying to re-connect with his friends. It’s heartbreaking to see how much he craves the days before everything, the days where he felt safe, where his friends were there for him and not concerned with their romantic entanglements. It was actually a really interesting look into Will’s character and how he’s desperately clinging to the old days but once the Mind Flayer comes into play, this is pretty much dropped. Aside from a half-hearted attempt from Lucas to bridge the gap, Will’s disconnect from his friends and the fact that they’re growing up faster than he is and therefore growing apart from him is never addressed again, leaving this particular thread unfinished. 

Hopper’s characterisation and his storyline regarding being a parent to a thirteen-year-old was also left unresolved. Overall, I didn’t love Hopper’s characterisation this season. He seemed overly aggressive and I really didn’t like that he got so drunk when Joyce didn’t turn up for their date. He’s obviously having communication issues with El, and the opportunity to resolve these issues died along with him. His jealousy over any man who even talked to Joyce was irritating and I didn’t like that he essentially threatened a fourteen-year-old kid and seemed pleased with himself when said kid then hurt his daughter (because it meant that he got his way and that’s all that mattered). I understand why he was so alarmed with El and Mike spending so much time together but the fact that this never got resolved in an adult manner irritated me. And his death, well, we’ll talk about that soon because that pissed me off beyond belief.

Billy’s character needed more depth. I did feel a bit sorry for him this season and he definitely felt like a better character than the previous season, but any development he had (including his relationship with Max) happened offscreen, so it was hard to believe that Max would grieve for him so much after everything we saw him do to her in Season 2. Obviously things have gotten better between the two of them and Billy himself is nowhere near as gross as he was (although he’s still a dick) but we never got to see this growth/development, so it was hard to really empathise with his character or feel grief over his passing, even for Max. 

Nancy’s character felt (once again) kind of useless this season and her storyline was (once again) so separate from the main storyline that I really feel that it could have been removed entirely and it wouldn’t have made a lick of difference. Also, I get that we were supposed to feel that she was being treated in a sexist manner by the men at the newspaper but, I mean, she was only an intern. She wasn’t there as a reporter, she was working as a intern and it’s an intern’s job to run menial tasks such as getting coffee, picking up lunch and doing boring tasks like photocopying and filing and the bad treatment she received seemed to be based more off her intern status than her gender. Also, what did she think, that she would become some groundbreaking reporter based off a summer job with zero experience or writing credentials? Lastly, Jonathan barely felt like a character this season, his sole reason to exist seemed to be to prop up Nancy’s storyline and I hated that after Jonathan delivered that epic (and entirely true) speech about how Nancy didn’t understand the lower class and how he needed the job and wasn’t born with the same silver spoon in his mouth that she was, he then turned around and apologised and said that he was wrong (which he totally wasn’t). Yet another example of Nancy treating a boyfriend like crap and getting away with it, but hey, “feminism”!

I also didn’t really like the dynamic they wrote between Joyce and Hop. It was good at first, with him going to her for advice on how to deal with El and Mike. But once she “stood him up” and they developed that weird snarky “banter”, I found myself growing tired of the dynamic. Also, bringing back the creepy conspiracy theorist from Season 2 to tell them they needed to bang (like he did with Nancy and Jonathan) was, again, so annoying. I hate when characters are told that they have feelings for one another, rather than developing naturally. So yeah, never been much of a Jopper shipper and this season made me even less so. Bring back Bob!

Oh, and lastly, Erica Sinclair is the most annoying little snot of a character. I didn’t find her entertaining at all. She was rude, obnoxious and mean, horrible to pretty much every character, took advantage of Scoops tasting policy while acting like an entitled brat and I just honestly could not stand her. I wish they’d left her out of the Steve/Robyn/Dustin dynamic, she was just such an unnecessary addition.

What I Hated

So, characterisation issues and weird bait-and-switches between it and plot aside, there were a couple of aspects to the new season which I truly hated.

First of all, this season was unnecessarily violent. Like, I get that there’s been violence in this show before, but it’s always been stylized violence, usually aimed at bad guys and quite subdued. But this season? Wow. Starting with that horrible imagine spot where Billy envisions bashing Karen Wheeler’s head in, it just never let up. Having grown men savagely beat up teenagers was way more than I needed to see and the violence often seemed really gratuitous and unnecessarily drawn-out. Steve’s torture at the hands of the Russians was really hard to take, especially because it went on for so long. I hated having to watch them punch Robyn in the face. Jonathan’s brutal beat-down from the Flayed Editor of the paper was horrible to watch and, once again, went on for way too long. Also, watching Flayed!Billy literally choke, punch and smack thirteen-year-old El around was horrifying. Also, his taking of Heather (and later on his attempt to take El) was incredibly rape-y, what with him leaning over them while they were incapacitated and telling them “Don’t move/struggle”, “It will be over soon”. Totally uncalled for and incredibly hard to watch. Maybe I’m oversensitive but I honestly don’t think that the show needed to display that level of violence.

The character assassination of Karen Wheeler continued, with her and her creepy middle-aged mom friends sitting poolside to perv on a eighteen-year-old kid. Imagine if the genders were reversed and it was four middle-aged men perving on a young girl? Also, why would she even consider sleeping with a teenage boy? Sigh. Remember when Karen Wheeler was a concerned and caring parent, who was strong enough to yell at government officials when they wouldn’t tell her what was going on and dropped by a grieving friend’s house with food and comfort? At least she and Nancy had that sweet scene in which she was encouraging to her daughter, but the rest of the time she was just useless and didn’t even know where her kids were.

Speaking of which, why did this show separate Joyce and Hop from their kids for so long? And why on earth would Joyce and Hop be willing to be separated from their kids for so long, after everything they went through the previous year? It felt so OOC for them to not even be suspicious that they hadn’t spoken to either of their children for at least three days, just taking the word of other parents that their kids were alright. 

And lastly, the thing which pissed me off the most and actually made both me and my husband instantly switch off from the show and feel like we had just wasted eight hours watching this season, the death of Jim Hopper.

I know, I know, the Stinger maybe hinted that he was still alive. I know we didn’t see a body. I know that there were hints of time travel in future seasons and that Jim Hopper possibly isn’t dead. But you know who doesn’t know this? The characters. And I hate that. I hate that El has now lost her father, less than two years after finally finding one. I hate that she’s now alone, separated from Mike and while, yes, Joyce will take care of her the best she can, it’s never going to be the same. I hate that Joyce now has to suffer through the heartbreak of losing yet another man she had feelings for, less than a year after she lost the first. I hate that she made the decision to move away (even though I understand it) which separated her kids from their relationships and removed El from the one person who still loves her with all his heart. I hate that the season ended on such a downer, with such loss and tragedy and sadness. It really brought down the whole season for me and left me with a horrible, sad and empty feeling and not at all looking forward to more seasons because of all the crap the characters have gone through.

Whew. That got really long. Hope this was coherent! 

[briarsheart]

You know what shows did character deaths correctly?

Hayley Marshall in The Originals (cried for weeks over that)

Lincoln Campbell in Agents of Shield

Lexa in The 100

Francis in Reign

Anna in The Vampire Diaries (AND SHE ONLY HAD ABOUT FOUR EPISODES WORTH OF SCREEN TIME NOT EVEN)

and what made all these deaths impactful and good writing? It wasn’t lazy writing. Their deaths were impactful and had meaning, and even if they didn’t have meaning you still got to see how their deaths affected those around them.

Francis for example, he was never my favorite character, but seeing Mary’s reaction and his entire funeral scene utterly broke me. I mean, the way that his death caused a ripple and in the end spun Mary and everyone else’s lives completely off kilter AND THEY SHOW YOU HOW AND TALK ABOUT IT CONSTANTLY IN ALMOST EVERY SEASON AFTER HIS DEATH!!!

Or Lincoln’s death in agents of shield, he sacrificed himself but his sacrifice meant something. If he hadn’t of died than it would’ve had severe ramifications on the entire world. His sacrifice wasn’t a last ditch effort to remove a character, the teams original plan failed and they realized that someone HAD to die. And then his death sends daisy on a complete spiral for almost an entire season and effects EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER.

They could’ve made Eddies death mean something and the Duffers could’ve effectively ripped all of our hearts out if they weren’t so lazy when writing. And honestly, I wouldn’t have been angry about Eddie dying if they’d DONE IT RIGHT!!! But seriously, why did he die? He didn’t NEED to distract that bats any longer... I understand giving him a nice hero arc (and I liked his hero arc) I just didn’t like how they handled his death and how they basically acted like he never existed to begin with. Like you’re seriously telling me that Eddie Munson, a character with such a big personality and who clearly impacts everyone around him, dies and the only one who sheds a tear is Dustin and Wayne? EVEN BOB NEWBY GOT MORE THAN THAT AND (don’t get me wrong I loved him and his death ripped me to shreds) HE HAD WAY LESS SCREENTIME AND PUBLICITY THAN EDDIE!!! AND HE INTERACTED WITH WAY LESS OF THE CHARACTERS. I mean Mike gives a huge hero speech about Bob and they barely had any scenes together but Eddie dies and apparently two days later everyone’s all smiles again? No fucking way.

⚠️ MAJOR SPOILER FOR STRANGER THINGS SEASON FOUR VOLUME 2 ⚠️

Okay, I’m majorly pissed that Eddie died, but it’s not even really the fact that he died that gets me, ITS THE FACT THAT NOBODY FUCKING CARED!!!! I could’ve made my peace with Eddies death if they’d at least showed the other characters reactions instead of that stupid 2 day time jump. Like what? That’s lazy writing and it enrages me. Do you know what I’d do to see even a minute long scene of Steve’s reaction to seeing Dustin hunched over Eddies body and sobbing? Good shows are supposed to kill off lovable characters and make you sob, but they made it like Eddie never even existed in the first place when he very much seemed like an integral part of the group

[jupitermelichios]

Thoughts on Stranger Things 2

Spoilers below the cut. Warning that this is very much a critique. If you liked the show and don’t want to read about someone disliking it, this isn’t for you.

First thing, why is there a season 2? Season 1 ended on a good ‘happy ending with a sting in the tail’ note. It was a cliffhanger in the proud tradition of twilight zone episodes and portmanteau horror movies. It didn’t need resolving because leaving it open is what makes it a horror story.

Steve says that him and Nancy have spent ‘a stupid number of days’ working on their Halloween costumes. They don’t wear them to the Halloween party, or at any other time. Everyone else at the party has a costume. Were the wardrobe department on strike? Were their costumes just ‘people wearing normal clothes’?

Three love triangles. Three. In a nine-episode show about killing monsters, they somehow felt they needed three goddamn hereto love-triangles. No one even likes that fucking trope okay?! Either you have kill off one of the dudes or make them an asshole, or pull a full-on Stephanie Meyer and have one of them marry a baby! And I’m refusing to give them any points just for not having Dustin marry a baby.

What purpose does Max serve, exactly? Someone somewhere explain her existence in this show without using the words love triangle. She’s a cool character, I like her, but I like her isn’t justification for adding another character into a show which already struggled in season 1 to give enough airtime to the characters it has. Nothing about the show would change if she wasn’t there, except that I would like Mike Wheeler a whole lot more.

On that subject, why is Lucas in the show? I mean, I know why. He’s there to be the black one, but someone explain why Dustin, Will and Mike all had to be white? Lucas gets a storyline this season, but it’s basically entirely disposable and separate from the main story, and he didn’t even get that in the first season. I bet the Duffer Brothers thought they were hilarious when they wrote that line Lucas has about not wanting to be the token black ghostbuster, apparently completely obvious to the fact that they made him the token black demagorgen slayer.

Someone on the writing team thinks Charlie Heaton is super hot, and I’m deeply confused by this. I mean you do you, but there’s more than one line which suggests they think he is specifically conventionally attractive, which is just weird.

I came out of season 1 suspecting that the Duffer Brothers hate women. I came out of season 2 certain of it. There are no positive female relationships in this show. None. Barb and Nancy argue all the time about Nancy wanting to spend all her time with Steve, which would be okay as a minor plot point, but then you look around the show and realise that theirs is the most positive female relationship in this. Nancy’s relationship with her mother is strained, she seems to have no genuine female friends, El hates Max for no god-damned reason (more on that later), El’s aunt rats her out to the police, her sister is a murderer, and Joyce... never interacts with another woman outside of life-or-death situations. She has no friends, no relatives, she barely speaks to Nancy and gets maybe three seconds interaction with El. The male characters all have positive relationships with other men (even Hopper gets a warrior bonds between men moment with Bob). But apparently women can’t spend time together socially, because all that sexual jealousy gets in the way.

That sexual jealousy. I’ve seen so many posts on this site saying anyone who ships the kids is an evil pervert going straight to hell, apparently not noticing that the fucking film-makers are doing it. Have this season’s plot points can be resolved down to ‘two of the pre-teens want to fuck’. El is not only rude and dismissive to Max, she actually attacks her with her powers because she had a conversation with Mike. Not making out with him, not Mike choosing Max over her, having a barely civil conversation which was mainly about the fact that Mike irrationally hates Max for daring to be a girl. Mike interacting with another girl even just to tell them he hates them is too much for El’s female sexual jealousy what all women have towards other women to handle. That whole relationship just turned my stomach to be honest, it was like every toxic trope about women Hollywood has mashed together into two interactions. I would genuinely rather we had stuck to only having 3 female characters than have the Duffer Brother’s hatred of women shoved in my face like that. It was nearly enough to make me stop watching. If the show had been longer than 9 episodes, I probably would have done.

Oh and then there’s Mike. Mike’s reactions are probably pretty common among traumatised kids who lack a support network, but the thing is, this is TV, and the show isn’t about showing how trauma affects pre-teens. If it was, I would have no issues about Mike’s behaviour. But this is a show about kids nearly getting eaten by monsters, and in order for that to hold our attention for 9 hours, we need to care about the kids. Even if it might be unrealistic, we need to see the kids being nice, so we can build up an emotional attachment to them. Mike has one very brief scene with Will, where he’s offering support and comfort. But that’s it. Apart from that he’s a dick to his friends, he’s a monumental dick to Max, he’s a dick to Hopper... he’s pretty unrelentingly unlikeable for 9 hours, which had the result that by the end I honestly didn’t care if he died or not. I cared more about Bob, who might as well have been wearing a red shirt with the words ‘will die at the 2/3rds mark to show the monsters are dangerous’ written on it.

Hopper and El. The thing I was most excited for going into this was Hopper and El’s relationship. I’m a sucker for some gruff loner learns to love again parent-child bonding. It’s tropey and cheesey, and I love it. Except I didn’t get that. I got gruff loner takes out his frustrated masculinity on an emotionally vunerable child. I was genuinely concerned for El’s safety in more than one of her scenes with him. We’re supposed to think it’s all okay because he says sorry afterwards, but frankly? I didn’t believe him. I’m sure he was sorry, but I honestly did not believe he wasn’t going to do it again. I would much much have preferred El stay with her aunt, or her sister. But she has to be in Hawkins because the writers ship her and Mike, and that means a parent figure needs to be found. In Hopper’s defence, I will say that he’s not any worse than most of the other parents in this (except Joyce, who is an Almodavar style Madonna figure).

Freud would have a field-day with this show, he really would.

What character arcs does this seaon have? Nancy dumping Steve and deciding to fight back barely counts when it’s actually her returning to the character she was at the end of season one but for some reaon stopping being during the break. Will doesn’t get one, Joyce doesn’t get one, Jonathan doesn’t get one. Mike and Dustin don’t get one. Lucas and Max don’t get one. El doesn’t actually get one. She gets something that looks like a character arc from a distance but is actually her starting off wanting to help her friends, wandering around for a bit and then realising that yes, she still wants to help her friends. Hopper gets one I guess, if you count apologising for one specific fight a character arc. Steve is the only one who gets anything even approaching actual character developement. Everyone else stays exactly the same, with just their location changing to add interest. No one actually grows or changes.

Okay, putting the themes and characters aside for a moment, what is up with the pacing? Seriously. Nothing happens until episode 4, and then the last two episodes are basically wall to wall action. It wouldn’t matter much if this were being aired weekly, but this is Netflix and your show takes less than a day to watch. Most viewers are going to watch it in one sitting, and that means you have to think about the pacing of the whole, not just the individual episodes, and they didn’t at all. The ultimate finale was just a ridiculous nothing of an ending. The kids decide they’re going to burn the tunnels but just never get round to it. Seriously, they go into the upsidedown, wander around a bit, and come out. El and Hopper walk into the facility, shoot 3 or 4 monsters and close the portal no problem. Joyce is able to save Will from possession just by sitting him next to the fire for  bit. They rushed the ending so they could spendmore time filming 12 year olds kissing. And I don’t know about you guys, but I remember being 12 pretty clearly. I spent school discos doing stupid dances with my friends during upbeat songs, and sitting somewhere quiet and talking during the slow ones, and so did most of the other kids. Even the popular straight kids weren’t making out while they slow danced in public at until we were 14. This is approaching teenwolf levels of ‘why are the showrunners so into teenagers sex lives’ in places, though they do at least have the taste to cut away before Nancy takes any clothes off when she sleeps with Jonathn, which TW certainly wouldn’t have. 

Speaking of pacing, they were so desperate to get to their ‘and now the kids kiss’ moment that they totally forget they needed some kind of resolution to Mike’s relationship with Max. So our happy ending includes Mike hating and lashing out at Max any time she’s near him, meaning she can’t spend time with the only friends she has without being attacked. That was supposed to be where you put his character arc, assholes. You don’t get to set this stuff up, not resolve it, and then expect me to be happy with the ending! Max being emotionally at risk from Mike and physically at rick from El and her step-borther (and let’s be real here, step-father as well) is not a happy ending! This is what I mean when I say this season would be better without Max. Eveyrhing about the set up they gave her ruins the happy ending, and she didn’t contribute anything plotwise. She’s a good character, but the show is worse for having her in it.

The advice Kali gives El about ‘anger makes you stronger’. Every genre trope suggests that advice should turn out to be bad, and really it’s love for her friends that makes her stronger. But that’s the one goddamn trope they don’t use, and it’s the one which would have added something to the story. 

The ‘but will evil return’ final shot for this season just felt forced and cheap.”Ooo the upside-down is still there!” Yeah, we know. That’s not the point. The door was closed. The threat is over. Reminding us that the dimension is still there is meaningless, just cheap sequel bait.

Overall, there were enough moments and elements I enjoyed to keep coming back. I liked El’s relationship with her sister (even if it was just a whole bunch of toxic tropes). I liked Hopper and Joyce’s relationship. I liked Steve’s character arc, such as it was. I liked Max. I was interested to see how the various threats would resolve themselves. But considering what changed between season 1 and 2, if there’s a 3rd season I won’t be watching it. This is Hollywood tropes dressed up in Indie pretensions and pop-culture references in the hopes we won’t notice it’s the same toxic bullshit about how much women need a man that we’ve seen a million times before. Well sorry Duffer Brothers, but the fancy set dressing isn’t enough to hide the fact this show is predictable as hell in all the wrong ways.

[ao3feed-mileven]

Something In Common

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2DiCg3i

by Martiegalwrites

The screams. The gunshots. The screeches. He heard Hopper’s voice; it was loud and booming. Reverberating off the cinder block wall and out to where he was holding Will up as best as he could. He couldn’t make out what Hopper was saying, but as loud as he was, Mike knew that Hopper, Mrs. Byers, and Bob needed to get out. Now.

OR

Mike's reaction and internal monologue during one of the most intense, slow-but-fast scenes in S2. Canon compliant. Bob's death is included, but isn't too terribly descriptive. This is my first work to ever post, so please read and review if you wanna!

Words: 1722, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death

Categories: Gen

Characters: Mike Wheeler, Joyce Byers, Jim "Chief" Hopper, Will Byers, Bob Newby, Jonathan Byers, Nancy Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Steve Harrington

Relationships: Eleven/Mike Wheeler, Eleven & Mike Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Bob Newby

Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Stranger Things (TV 2016), Basically Mike's reaction to Bob's death, Stranger Things Season 2 Spoilers, One Shot

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2DiCg3i

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

[Recap] STRANGER THINGS 2, Episodes 6-9: A Stunning Finish

New Post has been published on https://nofspodcast.com/recap-stranger-things-2-episodes-6-9-stunning-finish/

[Recap] STRANGER THINGS 2, Episodes 6-9: A Stunning Finish

I’m back with recaps of the final four episodes of season two of Netflix sensation Stranger Things. If you haven’t looked over the recaps for the first half, you can find them here. Alright, let’s dig in!

Episode 6 – “The Spy”

If things start to come together in episodes four and five, six is where Stranger Things season two really begins to deliver on its potential. Following Will (Noah Schnapp)’s seizures, Joyce (Winona Ryder), Hopper (David Harbour), and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) wind up at Hawkins Lab where Dr. Owens (Paul Reiser) and his team struggle to properly diagnose him. What is clear is that Will‘s memory is being affected by the otherworldly presence and, as the episode progresses, his amnesia is symptomatic of the fact that he can no longer be trusted.

It’s unfortunate that the titles of Stranger Things are so prominently displayed at the start of each episode, because the reveal that Will has broken bad is blatantly telegraphed. Despite this, I still found myself swept up in the action, especially when Steve (Joe Keery), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink) wind up trapped at the abandoned car junkyard thanks to the appearance of multiple demi-dogs. Collectively the cliffhanger at the lab and Steve‘s near-death helps to ratchet up the momentum as the series heads into its final few episodes.

Odds and Ends:

The relationship building between Steve and Dustin is easily one of the episode highlights. Plus: the scene of the group walking along the train tracks is heavily evocative of Stephen King’s Stand By Me.

I’m no big fan of Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton)’s sojourn into conspiracy theory-ville with Murray (Brett Gelman), though his ability to diagnose their unrequited love affair is mildly amusing.

The fatal climax, in which Will‘s deliberately leads the soldiers into a trap, is a clear homage to James Cameron’s Aliens, right down to the images appearing on the radar screen. Love it.

This is the first episode of the series that doesn’t feature Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

Eleven’s standalone episode 2×07 “The Lost Sister” is a singular mistake

Episode 7 – “The Lost Sister”

UGH. I wanted to give this episode the benefit of a doubt, but five minutes in I began checking my watch. Then I did some laundry. Then I began surfing YouTube for funny cat videos.

Yes, folks, this is undoubtedly THE WORST episode of Stranger Things that the series has ever produced. Yes, it pays off Eleven‘s “family” arc by reuniting her with her titular “lost sister”, Kali (Linnea Berthelsen). Outside of teaching Eleven how to hone her powers and helping her to realize that Mike and the others are her real family, however, this is 55 minutes of duds-ville.

It got so bad that I began making jokey memes about its awfulness on Twitter to pass the time. Seriously, this is one to tell friends to avoid – as Alan Sepinwall of HitFix suggests, it plays more like a bizarre backdoor pilot for a spin-off series that no one asked for.

Odds and Ends:

This is the first episode of the series that doesn’t feature any of the rest of the regular cast.

When Kali and her friends give Eleven an 80s punk look, I couldn’t help but think of the iconic ditty from Clone High about makeovers. MAKEOVER!

This is your first Matthew Modine-cameo alert for S2.

Seriously, I’d like to know who thought this episode (and its timing in the season) was a good idea? The only element that I enjoyed was that weird moment where the episode turned into a home-invasion thriller in the vein of The Purge & The Strangers.

The harrowing escape from Hawkins Laboratory is a focal point of 2×08 “The Mind Flayer”

Episode 8 – “The Mind Flayer”

With the worst creative decision that Stranger Things has ever made firmly in the rearview mirror, “The Mind Flayer” picks up right after the cliffhanger from 2×06. The escape from the Hawkins Lab is superb, particularly the cross-cutting between Bob (Sean Astin)’s solo mission to reset the power and Dr. Owens‘ guidance on the surveillance cameras (shades of Jurassic Park). And while horror fans undoubtedly knew that the writing was on the wall for Bob the moment he was told his exit path was “home free,” his death – and Joyce‘s reaction to it – are well-done.

With the season’s big death crossed off, the time comes to reconvene the disparate groups at the Byers house and prepare for the big battle. This is the calm before the storm as everyone catches up and they strategically plot their options. I’ll confess that while I appreciate the effort made to gently address the lunacy of Dustin‘s Mind Flayer/hive mind connection plan, it’s pretty unbelievable that everyone basically just goes along with it.

Once again the focus returns to Will and, in a well-executed montage, the infected boy is awoken and treated to trips down memory lane that double as opportunities to communicate how to shut down the otherworldly threat (using Morse Code, naturally). With a plan in hand and time running out, the group is seemingly beseiged by demi-dogs when Eleven returns from Duffer Brothers purgatory to finally rejoin the main group. Thank goodness – let’s get this climax on the road!

Odds and Ends:

In an episode filled with highs, the extended scene of Billy (Dacre Montgomery)’s dad beating him up for losing track of Max just feels so unnecessary. It’s still unclear why this storyline needed to exist.

Eleven and Hopper’s reunion is one of the finale’s strongest emotional beats

Episode 9 – “The Gate”

Here we go – the big finale. If there’s anything surprising about this episode, it is how quickly the threat is dispensed with: we’re barely half through the episode when Eleven manages to close the gate. This winds up being a smart decision because it avoids a long, drawn out battle in favour of narrative and emotional closure for nearly all of the characters, while once again teasing another season of Stranger Things.

After coming together briefly last episode, our protagonists split into three groups: 1) Hopper and Eleven head for the gate, 2) Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy create a home sauna to steam the demon out of Will and 3) the D-Listers (eventually) head back into the tunnels to draw attention away from the gate and clear a path for Eleven and Hopper. And barring the occasional hurdle, including – UGH – Billy, as well as one last encounter with D’Art, things more or less go to plan.

Of course I’m doing the finale a complete disservice by being so nonchalant. In all honestly “The Gate” is easily one of the most satisfying hours that the series has ever produced, hitting all of the right action AND emotional beats.

Let’s talk about each of those individually:

1) The action when Eleven goes up against the gate (and begins levitating!) is a stunning achievement. Visually (those special effects!) and aurally (that score!), the scene delivers a more bombastic finish than some big budget Hollywood tentpoles. Throw in Millie Bobby Brown’s absolutely commanding screen presence, masterfully conveying the entirety of Eleven‘s two season journey in a nearly silent performance and you have an absolutely killer sequence.

2) As significant an achievement as the action is, however, it would be nothing without the quieter moments. I was particular awestruck by Eleven and Hopper‘s extended conversation in the truck. There’s a reason why the Duffer Brothers paired these two together and while I complained about how repetitive their storyline was in the first few episodes, it really pays off here.

Ditto the moments when Mike attacks Hopper for lying to him and when Eleven and Mike lock eyes at the dance. These scenes only work because of our investment in these characters, so kudos on making us give a damn about these people in between all of the action and special effects.

Odds and Ends:

I mentioned last episode that I didn’t understand the point of Billy‘s storyline and aside from adding an additional obstacle to the team’s success, my opinions have not changed. I have nothing against Montgomery as an actor, but this was one addition too many in S2. Seeing Max finally stand up to her step-brother’s abuse (when he’s already drugged) just didn’t work for me.

Now that the Hawkins Lab has been shut down and Barb got her damn funeral, is this a wrap on #JusticeForBarb? PLEASE?

Nancy‘s pity dance with Dustin at the Snow Ball gave off some pretty heavy John Hughes vibes. If Stranger Things had been made in the 80s, I could easily see Molly Ringwald in the Nancy role.

So Joyce and Hopper are totally going to hook up now, right?

Finally, what do we think of the final teaser/twist? Personally I found it underwhelming (the Upside Down still exists? Colour me unsurprised!) but I appreciate that this is a way to hint that there’s more to come without undoing the narrative closure covered by the second half of this episode.

So that’s it for season two. What are your thoughts now that it’s all said and done? What do you expect to see in season three? Hit the comments below and sound off with your reactions and predictions.

[pilvimarja]

Well, I've had some time to recover and I thought I'd give a proper reaction to the tail end of season 4. Overall, I liked this season, but I don't think I'll end up rewatching it as much as the previous seasons (s3 is still my most rewatched season). First of all, it's basically two whole seasons squeezed into one and there were some storylines that in hindsight really dragged for me. There's also just so much emotionally draining content in this season that it's not easy to sit through as a casual rewatch.

I also wanna point out that even though Stranger Things is my favorite show, I'm not very invested in any of the ships (fanon or canon), so I don't really view the show through the same lens as most of the fandom and my viewing experience is probably pretty different compared to someone who's really invested in a specific character or a relationship.

But okay, the best thing about s4? Eddie Munson! He became an instant favorite (as did my dude Argyle), but I had a feeling that he'd be a one season character like Bob, and I'm so sad that he's gone. Him playing Metallica in the Upside Down is one of the greatest scenes in the history of this show, like, I was ecstatic watching that! But I think his death scene should have had more meaning, like I wish he'd gone out actually defending Dustin from imminent death instead of just wanting to "buy everyone more time". I honestly thought he'd bike all the way to the murder house and save Steve, Robin and Nancy from the tentacles, but nope, he just fought those bats and died. And jfc that was such a painfully emotional death scene! I was pacing around my living room and tearing at my hair and crying at my TV! It's been hours and my eyes are still a little puffy.

I also cried like a baby when Will showed Mike his drawing and "came out" to him between the lines. It sucks that Mike didn't understand, but Jonathan did and that scene at the pizza place between him and Will was my favorite scene between them since season 1! It really hurts and frustrates me that Will is made to pine for someone who's clearly not going to return his feelings. I don't hate Mike for any of it, it's okay that he loves Eleven, but I really want Will to find someone who can love him back. It also looks like Will is gonna be a major player again in s5 with his intimate connection to Vecna and it feels right to have him take the spotlight again, because this whole story began with Will Byers. It should end with him too.

I also loved Max this season. Her friendship with El was one of my favorite things about s3 and I'm glad it all culminated in El coming to rescue her (though I'm kind of ??? at El apparently having jesus powers now or something). The Russia arc was a bit hit and miss for me. It was annoyingly repetitive with Hopper and the gang escaping the prison and always ending up back there. But oh man, I'm SO SATISFIED with all the Hopper/Joyce content! I also liked Game of Thrones Guy and his sexy mustache.

My least favorite thing about this season were those insane murder jocks. I really could have done without them and I think I clapped when we saw Jason get split in half lol.

But yeah, overall? Not my favorite season (s1 and s3 still share that spot), a little too bloated here and there, but still a massively entertaining watch and I'll always love it for the gift of Eddie Munson.

Happy Stranger Things season 4 day to those who celebrate!!! 🥳🥳🥳

[feedbaylenny]

The Super Bowl is over, the Eagles won and in a moment, I’ll show you why the old phrase in the title — “may be hazardous to your health” — doesn’t just apply to cigarettes, but also football.

Bob Costas (NBC Sports)

One of my favorite sportscasters since I was a teenager has been NBC‘s Bob Costas. He’s very smooth, been national since 1979 and knows what he’s talking about.

NBC just had two of the biggest events in sports less than a week apart: the Super Bowl and the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Costas, 65, was the king of both when NBC had the rights — until this year.

He hosted six NBC Super Bowls and served as NBC’s primetime host for a record 11 Olympics.

A year ago, the 26-time Emmy winner announced he wouldn’t be doing the Olympics this year. People magazine reports he said in a statement,

“It’s been a wonderful run, but I just felt now was the right time to step away and I’m grateful that NBC left that decision to me.”

It’s a huge job, day after day, with so many events and athletes to know all about. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, he went on the air after catching an eye infection.

Now, NBC took Mike Tirico from ABC and ESPN to do the chore, which may have doubled because the network brilliantly decided to carry everything live on the west coast (starting at 5pm) and go until 2am in the east, when west coast prime time ends at 11. Of course, the South Korea time zone helped get everything live, but it’s still six long hours on the air.

https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/829697997227323394

It’s kind of fitting, in a way. Costas had hosted every Olympic Games since 1992. Tirico was the first student to receive the Bob Costas Scholarship at Costas’ alma mater, Syracuse University, back in 1987.

Costas is at the point in his career and life that he can say what he wants, and I love that. I hope I come across just as honestly these days, as well. It’s almost a waste to keep your mouth shut, if you know what you’re talking about.

As for the Super Bowl, it’s one game and just over three hours of time that most of America and much of the world would be watching. And he’d only have to be an expert on two teams. Sounds much, much easier — something he can handle with his eyes closed.

(L-R) lining up to push and shove; Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Nick Foles (#8) had just thrown a pass when he was with the University of Arizona; trying to tackle the runner

brain comparison (Wikibooks)

But in November, he said, “This game (football) destroys people’s brains,” referring to players’ concussions and other head injuries.

He’s absolutely right! Don’t think so? Look at all the damage done. Look at the behavior of some former players who got hit too hard too many times. Keep reading for the names of some players who died too young because of the damage, and a description of how the damage happens.

Parents, is it worth a four-year scholarship to college? Do the students getting the scholarships actually study for a job in the real world, or is football an extra responsibility that’s much more important than regular studies and credits?

Don’t get me wrong. I love watching football, especially when I know the team and the players. But I’m no die-hard who would watch some college football game between two west coast teams I know nothing about.

I like watching the players give it all to catch a pass, the defense trying to block and then tackle the runner if necessary. And the runner doing whatever it takes to get an extra few feet or make it out of bounds while keeping control of the ball. But first, the defensive line trying to blitz the quarterback, with his offensive counterparts protecting him.

A Popular Science article two years ago stated a football game has

“an estimated 130-plus plays, hundreds of hits, tackles, spears, and lay outs. For a young and healthy athlete, that can lead to serious brain trauma.”

“According to the NFL, there were 271 documented game-related concussions this past season — the most recorded by the league since 2011. Roughly one-third of those were caused by helmet-to-helmet contact.”

The magazine describes “one of the season’s dirtiest” games. It happened in January 2016.

“How dirty? With 22 seconds left in the game, the Steelers’ star wide receiver, Antonio Brown, was midair, ready to catch a ball that he hoped would put the Steelers within range of a game-winning field goal. Instead, Bengals’ linebacker Vontaze Burfict launched himself at Brown as he came down, slamming his helmet (which in the NFL can weigh four to six pounds) into the side of Brown’s head, whipping it sideways on his brain stem. The hit, at an estimated 707 miles per hour, carried about 1600 pounds of tackling force. It flattened Brown on his back, seemingly knocking him unconscious. Jim Nantz, the NFL’s normally unflappable play-by-play guy, was apoplectic, calling the assault ‘disgraceful.’

“The Steelers, who ended up winning the game 18 – 16, later said Brown had suffered ‘concussion like symptoms.’

“In the NFL, that’s code for ‘has a concussion.’”

A co-director at Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center told the magazine “what mostly likely went on inside Brown’s head that day.”

“As Burfict slammed into the left side of Brown’s head, he twisted it up and to the right. The slo-mo is painful just to watch. According to (Dr. Robert) Cantu, a hit like that would lead to a textbook rotational concussion, among the worst a player can suffer. There are several things happening inside Brown’s skull, the moment of impact. Brown’s brain begins to twist and spin. It does this in the opposite direction of the hit and inside his skull’s cerebrospinal fluid, a clear fluid that cushions the brain. In that same moment, his brain’s nerve fibers stretch and rotate.”

Also, according to the magazine,

“A large percentage of NFL concussions are the results of T-bone hits (at the ear hole) or right between the eyes. These hits rattle the brain’s center of gravity. What they do is make the brain to rock dangerously backwards and forward, repeatedly hitting the skull. In young athletes (think teenagers), the brain is flush with the bone. So this effect is not as pronounced as in older players, who have a one-eighth to a quarter-inch space, more room for the brain to ricochet off the skull, and thus to cause more harm. �� “Blows to the side of the head, like the that laid out Brown, are far more dangerous. The spinning a brain undergoes during a rotational concussion can cause significant structural issues.

“As Brown’s body recoils, his brain continues swirling back and forth before finally oscillating to a stop. That’s where things fade to black, both in Brown’s consciousness and in our scientific understanding.”

Stanford bio-engineer David Camarillo recently told PBS KQED’s Quest blog, “One of the serious issues is the wobbling of the brain.”

“The exertion caused by a rotational hit puts a much greater degree of stretch and strain on the nerve tissue than a linear hit,” Dr. Cantu explained. “It isn’t just going in one direction. It is going side to side, front and back.”

The magazine describes the injury.

“As soon as Brown’s head is hit, his brain violently accelerates. Neurotransmitters — chemicals that allow neurons to communicate with each other — are released, but since the trauma is so great, these neurotransmitters are chaotic and rendered effectively useless. At the same time, the new membranes surrounding the brain’s neuronal cells stretch so thin that ions like potassium and sodium flow out of the neurons and into the fluid-packed extracellular space. These ions are quickly replaced by calcium, which flows into the cell and basically paralyzes the neuron.”

It continues,

“The cell is unable to transmit nerve impulses. So what you have is a cell that is alive, but is greatly impaired and nonfunctioning. Cantu calls it ‘an energy crisis in the brain.’ And it can last not just minutes, but for months. That means whatever responsibility that cell controls, whether it be memory, speech or rage control, it can’t do its job. ‘So if the cell affects vision, you won’t see properly,’ says Cantu.”

But that’s not all.

“Microseconds after the ion chemical reaction, Brown’s nerve cells and fibers start to stretch. Once the blood vessels in those parts break, microscopic hemorrhages occur. Doctors using specialty MRI scans have seen these ruptures in injured NFL players as tiny holes where vessels have bled out. If the vessels bleed into the brain’s tissue, the fluid could kill neurons, which can already be in bad shape from a hit as severe as Brown’s.

“Scientists do not know how to measure the number of cells injured in a concussion. They just don’t know. But for athletes who suffer from CTE, a degenerative condition that can only be diagnosed through autopsy (90 out 94 former NFL players who authorized the examination over the past eight years have had it), the cell death is crippling. It leads to massive atrophy in the medial surface of the brain’s temporal lobe. That’s the region and area of the brain that is associated, in part, with memory and language. If the cells don’t have enough rehab time (say, a player takes the field too soon), they ‘tip over,’ says Cantu, and die, causing brown stains to develop throughout that region (a phenomenon noted by medical examiners during autopsies on NFL players).”

Junior Seau (Wikipedia)

Players like Dave Duerson and Terry Long wasted away due to the ravages of CTE and then ultimately committed suicide.

No football fan could forget Junior Seau. A team of scientists who analyzed the brain tissue of renowned NFL linebacker after his 2012 suicide concluded he suffered a debilitating brain disease likely caused by two decades worth of hits to the head, researchers and his family told ABC News.

That January 2013 article reported,

“More than 30 NFL players have in recent years been diagnosed with CTE, a condition once known as ‘punch drunk’ because it affected boxers who had taken multiple blows to the head. Last year, some 4,000 retired players filed lawsuits against the league over its alleged failure to protect players from brain injuries.

“The NFL has said it did not intentionally hide the dangers of concussions from players and is doing everything it can now to protect them.”

Ken Stabler suffered from CTE, died of colon cancer in 2015 and donated his roughly three-pound brain to Cantu’s CTE Center for analysis. Shortly before his death, he established the XOXO Stabler Foundation to take

“up a cause that directly affected the foundation’s chairman: sports-related brain trauma.

“The foundation’s new initiative XOXO Game Plan for Change is focused on changing the course and culture of contact sports to increase sports safety and reduce brain trauma in athletes. To facilitate change, the XOXO Stabler Foundation funds research on related brain diseases, methods of treatment and prevention, and educational outreach.”

Antwaan Randle El, 36, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he suffered severe memory loss and couldn’t even walk down the stairs.

Calvin Johnson announced he’d retire at age 30 likely because of fears relating to his post-retirement health.

Aaron Hernandez (Flickr)

“The very severity of the disease, at least that we’re seeing in American football players, seems to correlate with the duration of play. The longer they play, the more severe we see it,” Dr. Ann McKee told The New York Times.

And most recently, in April 2017, Aaron Hernandez killed himself while serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for a 2013 murder. Despite that, he was remembered in a video tribute before this month’s Super Bowl, when the league ran salutes to those the NFL lost in the past year.

Five months after the 27-year-old’s death, The New York Times reported,

“A posthumous examination of his brain showed he had such a severe form of the degenerative brain disease C.T.E. that the damage was akin to that of players well into their 60s.”

!!!!!

The gray lady’s ominous lead was,

“The brain scan came as a surprise even to researchers who for years have been studying the relationship between brain disease and deaths of professional football players.”

Frank Gifford worked with Howard Cosell and Don Meredith on Monday Night Football (Wikipedia)

The article claimed CTE has been found in more than 100 former NFL players including Andre Waters, Ray Easterling and sports announcer Frank Gifford.

The title comes from the surgeon general’s cigarette warning we were exposed to for decades, from 1965 until it got changed.

What if it was touch football or flag football, instead of tackle?

We’re talking about a whole different game! There would be a whole lot less excitement, fewer fans, less money in TV rights, and a lot less money in team and player paraphernalia.

Heck, if I could see and run better, I could even play! That just shows how different the game would be.

But going back to those injuries: Marc Buoniconti’s spinal cord injury causing him to be a paraplegic for more than 30 years. Who’s paying those medical bills? We’re talking about the rest of these people’s lives! As it stands, what percentage of former players go bankrupt due to bad advice or simply spending too much (which is much, much more than earlier players made)?

Out to get the quarterback

#44 wants to tackle the runner

What is the union doing? This is its whole webpage on health.

Last month, Costas told Sports Business Daily the decision to sit out the Super Bowl was mutual. He explained,

“Not only do I not have a problem with it, I am actually happy about it. I have long had ambivalent feelings about football, so at this point, it’s better to leave the hosting to those who are more enthusiastic about it.”

Costas (R) with former President George W. Bush (Wikipedia)

Again, Costas not part of the Olympics nor the Super Bowl seemed like a surprise. And again, it’s great to be able to do what you want and not do what you don’t want.

But Costas says we should not be surprised. His Olympics decision was made way back. And as for the Super Bowl,

“I have been making the same points for several years, often on NBC. In halftime commentaries, interviews with (NFL commissioner) Roger Goodell and other prominent NFL figures, appearances on CNN and elsewhere, I have addressed the issue of football and its undeniable connection to brain trauma many times.

“Why?

“Because the evidence is overwhelming and the effects are often devastating. It’s the elephant in the stadium at every game whether others choose to acknowledge it or not. And it’s not going away. So the idea that I am only now finding my voice on this, or that NBC was taken aback by what I said at Maryland is just wrong. It’s all simple and straightforward.”

I love people who speak freely!

Yes, there are benefits to being a popular, rich athlete. A lot of good needs to be done in the world. It costs money. People need food and clean water. Children here need examples, especially the ones without fathers.

But would you go out on the field, even with a ton of protection, and do something that has destroyed so many people’s lives?

P.S. Too bad NBC doesn’t have time for professional hockey during the Olympics. The network has the rights to it, and the National Hockey League isn’t taking a break this year.

ESPN reported last April, owners were not happy with the weeks-long “intermissions” every four years and wanted “conciliatory offers from the International Olympic Committee and/or the NHL Players’ Association.”

The NHLPA said in a statement,

“Any sort of inconvenience the Olympics may cause to next season’s schedule is a small price to pay compared to the opportunity to showcase our game and our greatest players on this enormous international stage.”

A deal didn’t happen, the players can’t compete and be Olympians this year, so Costas could call hockey. I don’t think he ever has, but he’s probably too smart to compete against the Olympics!

P.P.S. I couldn’t resist! Please forgive me.

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Football, even the Super Bowl, may be hazardous to your health The Super Bowl is over, the Eagles won and in a moment, I'll show you why the old phrase in the title -- “may be hazardous to your health” -- doesn't just apply to cigarettes, but also football.

[ao3feed-strangerthings]

Something In Common

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2DiCg3i

by Martiegalwrites

The screams. The gunshots. The screeches. He heard Hopper’s voice; it was loud and booming. Reverberating off the cinder block wall and out to where he was holding Will up as best as he could. He couldn’t make out what Hopper was saying, but as loud as he was, Mike knew that Hopper, Mrs. Byers, and Bob needed to get out. Now.

OR

Mike's reaction and internal monologue during one of the most intense, slow-but-fast scenes in S2. Canon compliant. Bob's death is included, but isn't too terribly descriptive. This is my first work to ever post, so please read and review if you wanna!

Words: 1722, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death

Categories: Gen

Characters: Mike Wheeler, Joyce Byers, Jim "Chief" Hopper, Will Byers, Bob Newby, Jonathan Byers, Nancy Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Steve Harrington

Relationships: Eleven/Mike Wheeler, Eleven & Mike Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Bob Newby

Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Stranger Things (TV 2016), Basically Mike's reaction to Bob's death, Stranger Things Season 2 Spoilers, One Shot

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2DiCg3i

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

[Recap] STRANGER THINGS 2, Episodes 6-9: A Stunning Finish

New Post has been published on https://nofspodcast.com/recap-stranger-things-2-episodes-6-9-stunning-finish/

[Recap] STRANGER THINGS 2, Episodes 6-9: A Stunning Finish

I’m back with recaps of the final four episodes of season two of Netflix sensation Stranger Things. If you haven’t looked over the recaps for the first half, you can find them here. Alright, let’s dig in!

Episode 6 – “The Spy”

If things start to come together in episodes four and five, six is where Stranger Things season two really begins to deliver on its potential. Following Will (Noah Schnapp)’s seizures, Joyce (Winona Ryder), Hopper (David Harbour), and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) wind up at Hawkins Lab where Dr. Owens (Paul Reiser) and his team struggle to properly diagnose him. What is clear is that Will‘s memory is being affected by the otherworldly presence and, as the episode progresses, his amnesia is symptomatic of the fact that he can no longer be trusted.

It’s unfortunate that the titles of Stranger Things are so prominently displayed at the start of each episode, because the reveal that Will has broken bad is blatantly telegraphed. Despite this, I still found myself swept up in the action, especially when Steve (Joe Keery), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink) wind up trapped at the abandoned car junkyard thanks to the appearance of multiple demi-dogs. Collectively the cliffhanger at the lab and Steve‘s near-death helps to ratchet up the momentum as the series heads into its final few episodes.

Odds and Ends:

The relationship building between Steve and Dustin is easily one of the episode highlights. Plus: the scene of the group walking along the train tracks is heavily evocative of Stephen King’s Stand By Me.

I’m no big fan of Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton)’s sojourn into conspiracy theory-ville with Murray (Brett Gelman), though his ability to diagnose their unrequited love affair is mildly amusing.

The fatal climax, in which Will‘s deliberately leads the soldiers into a trap, is a clear homage to James Cameron’s Aliens, right down to the images appearing on the radar screen. Love it.

This is the first episode of the series that doesn’t feature Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

Eleven’s standalone episode 2×07 “The Lost Sister” is a singular mistake

Episode 7 – “The Lost Sister”

UGH. I wanted to give this episode the benefit of a doubt, but five minutes in I began checking my watch. Then I did some laundry. Then I began surfing YouTube for funny cat videos.

Yes, folks, this is undoubtedly THE WORST episode of Stranger Things that the series has ever produced. Yes, it pays off Eleven‘s “family” arc by reuniting her with her titular “lost sister”, Kali (Linnea Berthelsen). Outside of teaching Eleven how to hone her powers and helping her to realize that Mike and the others are her real family, however, this is 55 minutes of duds-ville.

It got so bad that I began making jokey memes about its awfulness on Twitter to pass the time. Seriously, this is one to tell friends to avoid – as Alan Sepinwall of HitFix suggests, it plays more like a bizarre backdoor pilot for a spin-off series that no one asked for.

Odds and Ends:

This is the first episode of the series that doesn’t feature any of the rest of the regular cast.

When Kali and her friends give Eleven an 80s punk look, I couldn’t help but think of the iconic ditty from Clone High about makeovers. MAKEOVER!

This is your first Matthew Modine-cameo alert for S2.

Seriously, I’d like to know who thought this episode (and its timing in the season) was a good idea? The only element that I enjoyed was that weird moment where the episode turned into a home-invasion thriller in the vein of The Purge & The Strangers.

The harrowing escape from Hawkins Laboratory is a focal point of 2×08 “The Mind Flayer”

Episode 8 – “The Mind Flayer”

With the worst creative decision that Stranger Things has ever made firmly in the rearview mirror, “The Mind Flayer” picks up right after the cliffhanger from 2×06. The escape from the Hawkins Lab is superb, particularly the cross-cutting between Bob (Sean Astin)’s solo mission to reset the power and Dr. Owens‘ guidance on the surveillance cameras (shades of Jurassic Park). And while horror fans undoubtedly knew that the writing was on the wall for Bob the moment he was told his exit path was “home free,” his death – and Joyce‘s reaction to it – are well-done.

With the season’s big death crossed off, the time comes to reconvene the disparate groups at the Byers house and prepare for the big battle. This is the calm before the storm as everyone catches up and they strategically plot their options. I’ll confess that while I appreciate the effort made to gently address the lunacy of Dustin‘s Mind Flayer/hive mind connection plan, it’s pretty unbelievable that everyone basically just goes along with it.

Once again the focus returns to Will and, in a well-executed montage, the infected boy is awoken and treated to trips down memory lane that double as opportunities to communicate how to shut down the otherworldly threat (using Morse Code, naturally). With a plan in hand and time running out, the group is seemingly beseiged by demi-dogs when Eleven returns from Duffer Brothers purgatory to finally rejoin the main group. Thank goodness – let’s get this climax on the road!

Odds and Ends:

In an episode filled with highs, the extended scene of Billy (Dacre Montgomery)’s dad beating him up for losing track of Max just feels so unnecessary. It’s still unclear why this storyline needed to exist.

Eleven and Hopper’s reunion is one of the finale’s strongest emotional beats

Episode 9 – “The Gate”

Here we go – the big finale. If there’s anything surprising about this episode, it is how quickly the threat is dispensed with: we’re barely half through the episode when Eleven manages to close the gate. This winds up being a smart decision because it avoids a long, drawn out battle in favour of narrative and emotional closure for nearly all of the characters, while once again teasing another season of Stranger Things.

After coming together briefly last episode, our protagonists split into three groups: 1) Hopper and Eleven head for the gate, 2) Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy create a home sauna to steam the demon out of Will and 3) the D-Listers (eventually) head back into the tunnels to draw attention away from the gate and clear a path for Eleven and Hopper. And barring the occasional hurdle, including – UGH – Billy, as well as one last encounter with D’Art, things more or less go to plan.

Of course I’m doing the finale a complete disservice by being so nonchalant. In all honestly “The Gate” is easily one of the most satisfying hours that the series has ever produced, hitting all of the right action AND emotional beats.

Let’s talk about each of those individually:

1) The action when Eleven goes up against the gate (and begins levitating!) is a stunning achievement. Visually (those special effects!) and aurally (that score!), the scene delivers a more bombastic finish than some big budget Hollywood tentpoles. Throw in Millie Bobby Brown’s absolutely commanding screen presence, masterfully conveying the entirety of Eleven‘s two season journey in a nearly silent performance and you have an absolutely killer sequence.

2) As significant an achievement as the action is, however, it would be nothing without the quieter moments. I was particular awestruck by Eleven and Hopper‘s extended conversation in the truck. There’s a reason why the Duffer Brothers paired these two together and while I complained about how repetitive their storyline was in the first few episodes, it really pays off here.

Ditto the moments when Mike attacks Hopper for lying to him and when Eleven and Mike lock eyes at the dance. These scenes only work because of our investment in these characters, so kudos on making us give a damn about these people in between all of the action and special effects.

Odds and Ends:

I mentioned last episode that I didn’t understand the point of Billy‘s storyline and aside from adding an additional obstacle to the team’s success, my opinions have not changed. I have nothing against Montgomery as an actor, but this was one addition too many in S2. Seeing Max finally stand up to her step-brother’s abuse (when he’s already drugged) just didn’t work for me.

Now that the Hawkins Lab has been shut down and Barb got her damn funeral, is this a wrap on #JusticeForBarb? PLEASE?

Nancy‘s pity dance with Dustin at the Snow Ball gave off some pretty heavy John Hughes vibes. If Stranger Things had been made in the 80s, I could easily see Molly Ringwald in the Nancy role.

So Joyce and Hopper are totally going to hook up now, right?

Finally, what do we think of the final teaser/twist? Personally I found it underwhelming (the Upside Down still exists? Colour me unsurprised!) but I appreciate that this is a way to hint that there’s more to come without undoing the narrative closure covered by the second half of this episode.

So that’s it for season two. What are your thoughts now that it’s all said and done? What do you expect to see in season three? Hit the comments below and sound off with your reactions and predictions.