#st 4x05

[will80sbyers]

STRANGER THINGS 4 Chapter five: The Nina Project

[startrekuniverse]

LOWER DECKS

4x05 Empathological Fallacies

[asexualjedi]

Jake: yeah don’t worry I talked about u and ur girlfriends relationship with nog. He’s learned about feminism at the academy don’t worry so he agrees with me that she’s a grown woman whose making her own choices

[shinelikethunder]

kripke: show creator; seasons 1-5 showrunner; wrote or co-wrote 1x01 pilot, 1x02 wendigo, 1x09 home, 1x16 shadow, 1x22 devil’s trap, 2x01 in my time of dying, 2x22 all hell breaks loose part two, 3x01 the magnificent seven, 3x16 no rest for the wicked, 4x01 lazarus rising, 4x07 it's the great pumpkin, sam winchester, 4x10 heaven and hell (story), 4x22 lucifer rising, 5x01 sympathy for the devil, 5x09 the real ghostbusters, 5x22 swan song, 6x22 the man who knew too much; directed 2x20 what is and what should never be, 4x22 lucifer rising

gamble: seasons 6-7 showrunner; wrote or co-wrote 1x03 dead in the water, 1x12 faith, 1x14 nightmare, 1x21 salvation, 2x03 bloodlust, 2x08 crossroad blues, 2x13 houses of the holy, 2x17 heart, 2x21 all hell breaks loose part one, 3x02 the kids are alright, 3x07 fresh blood, 3x10 dream a little dream of me, 3x12 jus in bello, 3x15 time is on my side, 4x02 are you there god? it’s me, dean winchester, 4x09 i know what you did last summer, 4x17 it’s a terrible life, 4x21 when the levee breaks, 5x02 good god, y'all, 5x07 the curious case of dean winchester, 5x13 the song remains the same, 5x21 two minutes to midnight, 6x01 exile on main st, 6x11 appointment in samarra, 6x21 let it bleed, 7x01 meet the new boss, 7x10 death's door, 7x17 the born-again identity, 7x23 survival of the fittest

edlund: wrote 2x05 simon said, 2x12 nightshifter, 2x18 hollywood babylon, 3x03 bad day at black rock, 3x09 malleus maleficarum, 3x13 ghostfacers, 4x05 monster movie, 4x08 wishful thinking, 4x16 on the head of a pin, 5x04 the end, 5x10 abandon all hope, 5x14 my bloody valentine, 5x20 the devil you know, 6x03 the third man, 6x09 clap your hands if you believe, 6x15 the french mistake, 6x20 the man who would be king, 7x02 hello cruel world, 7x09 how to win friends and influence monsters, 7x15 repo man, 7x21 reading is fundamental, 8x05 blood brother, 8x13 everybody hates hitler, 8x21 the great escapist; directed 6x20 the man who would be king, 7x21 reading is fundamental

[inutaffy]

scraps pt2

unknown (no seriously i didn't include it bc i couldn't find who it was by) // st 4x02 // st 4x04 // concerning the spiritual in art (kandinsky) // october passed me by (girl in red) // st 4x05 // sad lesbians (black polish) // st 4x02 // elke river

[nellie-elizabeth]

Barry: tricky legacies (4x05)

This show makes me wish I was smarter and better at articulation so I could explain what I think is genius about it.

Cons:

I almost wish the episode hadn't included the intrusion from the past at the end, and had instead ended with Barry and Sally and their son just... living their strange lives together. The bit at the end with Cousineau returning from hiding and ready to tell Barry's story, and Barry saying he'd have to kill him, felt like more of a plot gimmick than anything, and I think it would have been cool from a pacing perspective if like... that happened at the start of the next episode, leaving this one in this strange unfamiliar space with nothing to latch onto from the past. It's a small thing, I just thought the very ending of the episode was the weakest part.

Pros:

Something about the way this whole episode was shot and paced and scripted just made everything feel so alienating. There weren't very many close-ups on faces, a lot of wide shots to show the loneliness but also the oppressiveness of their lives. Also a lot of playing around with what we can and cannot hear; murmured conversations that John can hear his parents having through the wall, that kind of thing. I loved the sense of creeping dread the whole thing provided. It was unsettling in all the best ways!

The psychology of Barry as a character is fascinating to me because what you might assume someone would do in this situation was cut the past out of his life entirely. And yet instead of doing that, he's telling John about his time as a marine, in order to impress his kid. He's pretending to be a gentle sort of guy who never gets angry, and he's painting stories of heroism instead of violence to demonstrate the nobility of his past.

And Sally, now going by Emily, is totally detached from the world around her, not even attempting to cross the divide and connect with her husband and son. Her dead-eyed behavior with the creep in the diner, all the way through choking him and then without seeming remorse getting an innocent person fired by accusing him of stealing from the till, the way she talks to Barry on the phone while drinking straight out of a liquor bottle leaning up against the side of the car... her existence is so bleak, and we get so little insight into how she's feeling about things, other than just... bad. There's the parallel that as Barry is recounting glory days to their son, Sally is also caught in the past, watching clips of her former assistant interviewing about her big TV show that's just coming to an end, a show that was meant to be Sally's.

The themes of "clean living" and the religious overtones are interesting, because you get the sense that Barry decided one day what kind of family they were going to be, and then decided to method act his way into making that the reality. The stilted conversations about Lincoln's origins and eventual legacy were a great way to drive this home. I love how Barry quickly pivots from praising Lincoln to learning the less ideal parts of his history, and then goes down a rabbit hole of finding out all the bad stuff that historically "good" people have done. Gandhi, St. Augustine, etc. Like, that's relatable as fuck, Barry. Nothing's sacred anymore.

We end with Cousineau reappearing, wanting to help make a movie about his experience with Barry. Sally calls to Barry, using his real name for the first time all episode, and as John, off screen, asks "who's Barry"? Barry rushes out to see the news article on the computer screen. I did like that this was the moment we saw Sally coming the most alive all episode, when the past finally seemed to be catching up to her. And Barry's commitment to living a better, cleaner life goes out the window when it looks like the past might be catching up with him.

All in all, excellent stuff. The flash-forward at the end of the last episode was an excellent teaser to what turned out to be a genuine eight-year time jump, and now we've just got to wonder what some of our other characters have been through in that intervening time. Hank? Fuches? It's going to be interesting to find out.

9/10

[castlebyersafterdark]

my cousin watched ST for the first time recently and she's a huge m/leven shipper. she said that she liked them better in s1-2 but she still likes them now. I watched final episode with her and she literally squealed over mike's monologue. when mike said, "you were wearing that yellow benny's burgers T-shirt", she was like, "awww he remembers everything 🥹"

she actually explained to me that she likes m/leven so much because she always roots for the main couple. with byler, she picked up on will liking mike during the desert scene in 4x05 and she feels really sorry for him. she wants will to find love and move on from mike in season 5. she believes that mike's aware of will's feelings and that's why they "lost their connection".

I wonder if this is the way GA usually perceive m/leven/byler situation. but also, I have another cousin who watched ST4 last year and she didn't pick up on will being gay at all. she asked me, "why was will crying in the van scene?" and when I said that will's in love with mike, she was shocked (she rewatched the whole show later and told me, "will really is in love with mike. but mike loves el")

it's just, I think it's funny that we discuss the possibility of an implied sex scene in season 5 while there is a huge number of people who believe that will's love is unrequited or don't even realise that will's gay. so my question is, do you think duffers should have made it more obvious that mike has feelings for will? I'm afraid a lot of people will be saying that byler came out of nowhere.

Being exposed to different perspectives like this is so jarring, like I can barely comprehend loving Mike's speech? Truly baffling to me but I know so many people ate that up!! Tough to even sit through it on a rewatch! That's so odd that the mindset is to just root for the main couple no matter what, just because they're on screen? Weird! But is that how most casual watchers of movies/tv consume media? Consume is the key word. Maybe it's a lack of deeper thinking or caring to dive deeper into what's happening on screen. And of course there are people who in no way ever look for the underlying truth, even well-intentioned their mind never jumps to thinking anyone is gay. Straight as default. Not even straight as default, actually, just a non-thought at all.

That's why it's such nonsense that within fandom there's infighting and discourse over head canons and theory interpretation and arguing whether it's ok to even imply anything sexual about characters etc. Because there's a big broad world out there watching the show that watches passively to the point of non-retention. Like the people who've sat through all four seasons and don't retain character names!? How!? I know I get hyper invested in stuff more than the average person but... come on.

I'm conflicted on how I think the show should have gone, because I love it so much and I'll admit part of me bristles when too much criticism is posed towards it, and I know that makes me a little naive or annoying and sensitive, but it is what it is. I think that in an ideal world, maybe this show would have flourished with more time. As in, more episodes per season. I've seen people say that's a bad idea, because storylines could be ruined or the lore could be over complicated and I've seen other people point out that television traditionally for years followed the longer format. The binge limited episode model is modern. But, advanced effects and more expenses over time - less episodes and runtime overall. Look at something like Lost with the characters and lore and supernatural and timelines. Imagine what we could have had with a format like that with Stranger Things. So, I think we're getting what we're getting based on the runtime we have. I think the Mike arc and Byler arc is being treated as part of a twist, part of a big reveal for the most impact the final season. I think looking back it'll be more obvious for people who care to rewatch to see the Mike journey play out. But not everyone cares to rewatch shows. And so be it, that's not who the shows are made for. In the immediate - the show is for everyone. In the long term - the shows are made for people like us.

[aliferousdreamer]

so far the only ship truly thriving is lumax and i'm not even mad. my children deserve this. 💗

[buddiebeginz]

Stranger Things S4 Posters by Butcher Billy

[dystopicbrain]

what if they don’t like the truth?

— Will Byers

[fiercestpurpose]

I love “character with empathic/telepathic powers loses those powers and therefore loses their ability to be the one that is always able to help others and has to confront the fact that they have built their identity around being the person who understands others and makes things easier for others and they don’t really take it well because despite their calm demeanor they aren’t actually like perfect models of how to be well-adjusted adults” plots like miss troi and mrs grey summers did you know i love you

[will80sbyers]

• STRANGER THINGS 4 | CHAPTER FIVE: THE NINA PROJECT

[startrekuniverse]

LOWER DECKS

4x05 Empathological Fallacies

[asexualjedi]

Dukat: it was good actually that we invaded and oppressed your people it made u stronger. Does this make you wanna fuck me.

[shinelikethunder]

writing credits, seasons 1-6 only because this post is long enough:

kripke: 1x01 pilot, 1x02 wendigo, 1x09 home, 1x16 shadow, 1x22 devil's trap, 2x01 in my time of dying, 2x22 all hell breaks loose part two, 3x01 the magnificent seven, 3x16 no rest for the wicked, 4x01 lazarus rising, 4x10 heaven and hell (story), 4x22 lucifer rising, 5x01 sympathy for the devil, 5x09 the real ghostbusters, 5x22 swan song, 6x22 the man who knew too much; show creator; seasons 1-5 showrunner

kripke & siege: 4x07 it's the great pumpkin, sam winchester

siege: 4x12 criss angel is a douchebag, 4x18 the monster at the end of this book, 5x05 fallen idols, 5x12 swap meat, 5x17 99 problems

tucker: 2x04 children shouldn't play with dead things, 2x10 hunted, 2x16 roadkill, 2x20 what is and what should never be

gamble & tucker: 1x03 dead in the water, 1x12 faith, 1x14 nightmare, 1x21 salvation

gamble: 2x03 bloodlust, 2x08 crossroad blues, 2x13 houses of the holy, 2x17 heart, 2x21 all hell breaks loose part one, 3x02 the kids are alright, 3x07 fresh blood, 3x12 jus in bello, 3x15 time is on my side, 4x02 are you there god? it's me, dean winchester, 4x09 i know what you did last summer, 4x17 it's a terrible life, 4x21 when the levee breaks, 5x02 good god, y'all, 5x07 the curious case of dean winchester, 5x13 the song remains the same, 5x21 two minutes to midnight, 6x01 exile on main st, 6x11 appointment in samarra, 6x21 let it bleed; 4 episodes in season 7; seasons 6-7 showrunner

gamble & humphris: 3x10 dream a little dream of me

humphris: 2x07 the usual suspects, 2x14 born under a bad sign, 3x05 bedtime stories, 4x04 metamorphosis, 4x14 sex and violence

humphris & shiban: 1x20 dead man's blood

shiban: 1x06 skin, 1x07 hook man, 1x11 scarecrow, 1x15 the benders, 2x02 everybody loves a clown, 2x09 croatoan, 2x15 tall tales, 2x19 folsom prison blues

edlund: 2x05 simon said, 2x12 nightshifter, 2x18 hollywood babylon, 3x03 bad day at black rock, 3x09 malleus maleficarum, 3x13 ghostfacers, 4x05 monster movie, 4x08 wishful thinking, 4x16 on the head of a pin, 5x04 the end, 5x10 abandon all hope, 5x14 my bloody valentine, 5x20 the devil you know, 6x03 the third man, 6x09 clap your hands if you believe, 6x15 the french mistake, 6x20 the man who would be king; 7 episodes in seasons 7-8

carver: 3x04 sin city, 3x08 a very supernatural christmas, 3x11 mystery spot, 3x14 long-distance call, 4x03 in the beginning, 4x11 family remains, 4x15 death takes a holiday, 4x20 the rapture, 5x03 free to be you and me, 5x08 changing channels, 5x15 dead men don't wear plaid, 5x18 point of no return; 7 episodes in seasons 8-11; seasons 8-11 showrunner

dabb & loflin: 4x06 yellow fever, 4x13 after school special, 4x19 jump the shark, 5x06 i believe the children are our future, 5x11 sam interrupted, 5x16 dark side of the moon, 5x19 hammer of the gods, 6x04 weekend at bobby's, 6x07 family matters, 6x13 unforgiven, 6x18 frontierland; 5 episodes in seasons 7-8; 2 solo episodes in season 8 (loflin); 29 solo episodes in seasons 8-15 (dabb); seasons 12-15 showrunner (dabb)

glass: 6x02 two and a half men, 6x08 all dogs go to heaven, 6x12 like a virgin, 6x19 mommy dearest; 11 episodes in seasons 7-10

charmelo & snyder: 6x06 you can't handle the truth, 6x14 mannequin 3: the reckoning, 6x17 my heart will go on; 6 episodes in seasons 9-11

matthews: 6x05 live free or twi-hard, 6x10 caged heat, 6x16 and then there were none

[erikiara80]

Stranger Things analyses and theories

There are clues everywhere. Like these possible "echoes" of other timelines: woman saying Jane! at the beginning of The spy, and another voice before El removes the Soteria in 4x07

Parallels with other stories

Byler-Polivia and other ST-Fringe parallels

Big parallel with IT-The Dark Tower: Will and the god-like Turtle

If Will is paralleled to the Turtle, El is paralleled to the cyborg Bear

Wayward Pines-Stranger Things parallels

The mystery of the only person who went missing before Will (1923)

More on the 1923 mystery, some interesting parallel with Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters parallel could explain the importance of the library

The mystery of the suicide in 1961

8:15pm, parallel with LOST Oceanic Flight 815

Will, The Last Dragon and the power of the Glow

Dark Crystal poster in Mike's room: a hint at Will and El connection

Will's vanishing and Laurie Anne's death (IT-the miniseries)

THEORY: a car crash in the winter of 1976 changed everything

Hints that there was a car crash in 1976 (Part I)

More hints at a car crash (Part II)

Hints that before or during the car chase someone was shot

TW: drowning and asphyxiation. What might have happened to El and Will in the past

Connection between Will, El and Saraha: Breathe!

- WILL BYERS: theories about powers, birthdaygate, his role in S5 

Will: S5 spoilers, UD and Nina flashbacks parallels, Will's connection to Vecna/UD

Hints that Will might have powers + paralles with other powerful characters

Will and the Mind Flayer in S3: another trap like in The spy?

Why Byler and Will having powers wouldn’t come out of nowhere

Vecna took Will at Castle Byers. The Demogorgon wasn't alone

Is Will in a Vecna vision at the end of S4?

How did El recognize Will in the photo?

Birthdaygate: he writers didn't forget Will's birthday: all the birthdays references since S1

Birthdaygate and Will the Wise

Birthdaygate: a different take + possible clue on the ST IG account

(A bit of) birthdaygate: connection Arcade scene in S2 and roller ring scene in S4

Will’s powers, Forever Clock and Cerebro (+ parallel with My Little Pony)

Did Will cast Fog Cloud in the tunnels in 2x06? 

Joyce really sees Will in 1x04: parallel with 2x05

The russian prisoners, the lab kids, Will, El and tears in time and space

KALI

Spiders and butterflies

All the signs in 2x07 that make Kali sus

Parallels and connection between 2x07 and 4x07

Kali, nickname K-street name for ketamine-the mean green and the green goo

Hopper, Ray Carroll and Alice as a slang for LSD

WILLEL AND TWELVEGATE theories

Terry’s memories are different from El’s

Hints that Jopper were a couple in the OG timeline

Connection El and Sarah: Shirley Temple, bonsai trees and Anne of Green Gables

Will, El and Hopper, a curious connection: the horseshoes

Why so many mentions of Barb in S4? Because it's not just about Nancy, Barb is paralleled to El (I need to update it)

Will and El parallels in 4x05

Another Jopper scene with hints at them being married

Hint that Joyce is the biological mother of three kids

Little parallel Jonathan-Will and Jonathan-El

Jancy’s first lie scene in S2 could be a parallel with Jopper and the curse 

Joyce and Hopper communicating with Will with or without words

Jopper sweet scene in Russia that could hint at Willel twins

Willel, Byler, Twelve and labyrinths

Willel and Twelvegate: Will, El and Joyce parallels

Analysis of the newspapers: inconsistencies are hints

Terry and Joyce connection in the S1 articles

Analysis of the Hawkins Post article in S3

Ray Carroll (S2) and the hidden connection to Hopper and Vietnam

Connection El-basketball article in 4x01

THE FIRST SHADOW

Something about Alice/Virginia's age

The cast

Brenner-Henry, Lonnie-Jon, Hopper-Will

WILL AND JONATHAN

A beautiful bond

BYLER  

Why Will won’t be rejected by Mike (about the 80s and queer love)

Keys, Willel and Byler

Mike’s respect and admiration for Will

Will’s painting is even on Dustin’s shirt

Analysis of 3X03: Byler and other theories