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nauru-1's Replies
Not watching this one. We're so close now.
[quote]I'm basing off all the all times El used powers after maybe the first two times!
The characters could actual be put in real danger once in a while. After the first few times EL used her powers, we knew that whenever any danger came, everyone would be fine.[/quote]
"At least in the first season" ? Second season hasn't aired yet.[/quote]
The three main instances of El unexpectedly saving the day I would suggest are the ones listed above. You could throw in the van flip, though personally I think the show was intentionally readying us for Eleven to do something in that particular scene, with only the outcome being the surprise. I would say I wouldn't want them to go down that well every time they are in danger going forward, but if Eleven is present during any of those occasions there will have to be a reason why can't help them. Her abilities have been established, so not using them will strain credulity (much like those eagles) unless there's an actual reason for it.
My "at least in season 1" comment was in reference to what I thought was the show's biggest strength thus far. Since season 2 has yet to air, obviously I can't comment on whether that continues to hold true.
I'm a proponent of a harm-based approach. If distracted driving only posed a risk to the person doing it, there wouldn't be a good justification for a law against it. Because that is far from the truth, it finds itself in the grey area where we have to attempt to balance risk with practicality.
I imagine you're basing this off of three occasions in particular: Mike jumping off the cliff, the group being cornered the agents, and the demogorgon in the classroom.
In hindsight, I would tend to agree that the tension that could be mined from those scenes loses a little thanks to El's powers. At least in the first season, I think the show's biggest strengths were more in the bonding between the characters than the big action scenes.
Here we go ya'll: [url]http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/stranger-things-blu-ray-release-looks-to-be-a-stunning-vhs-throwback[/url]
It sounds like Eleven will speak more this time around, probably a level somewhere in between where she was and how the other kids communicate. Having her personality come out more verbally could really add a new dimension to her character. She may actually get to the point where she can articulate her own feelings.
I expect some highs and lows for her emotionally over the course of season 2, probably struggling to deal with being separated from Mike and company, and hopefully culminating in a joyful reunion at some point.
I think they have legitimate reasons to consider Trump a buffoon and his policies corrosive, but it was admittedly tiring to hear the political angle in every speech and as the undercurrent of every major award.
I think it's basically a combination of what you've said above. She feels responsible for opening up the horrors of the Upside Down, and her powers cause great misery to others. Essentially viewing herself as a freak of nature (or, in this case, of scientific experimentation).
It is interesting to consider these thoughts in light of an interview the Duffers did at the Emmys (warning: vague spoilers ahead).
They talk about Eleven going through an emotional roller coaster, showing how she handles adolescence with the powers possesses. They also chose not to comment about romantic implications. From what I've heard, Mike is depressed with Eleven missing and is reluctant to have Max around, so I imagine it's not going to be something on his end.
My baseless theory is that Will is corrupted by the Upside Down which cause him to act in antagonistic ways, perhaps in an upsetting way between Mike and El's relationship.
Also set the new high score in the arcade, so I guess gaming will figure in to them teaming up.
With her powers, even one error in judgment or heat-of-the-moment decision could prove tragic. I don't necessarily think Stranger Things would go so dark to have Eleven accidentally kill an innocent person or someone she cares about, but that would certainly create new territory to explore.
Jealousy is a really interesting angle to think about, because I can't imagine Eleven would look kindly on anything that comes between her and Mike. Would be a good test for how discerning Eleven is with using her powers. It could also be funny, with her friends trying to reel her in and not take any rash action!
Considering both projects involve outcast kids facing supernatural horrors in the 80s, his characters couldn't be more different!
Yes, I wasn't frightened by the Pennywise stuff at all, and that goes double for the effects-driven sequences. Thankfully the movie had some other great things going for it instead.
The thing with Eleven is that although she was horribly mistreated, she was not broken by it. Even before she used her powers on the bad men, she was still helplessly resisting being locked up. So while we do get to know her as gentle and kind, what she has also always seemed to possess is a fierce survival instinct. In that sense, she fits in perfectly with the boys.
Thus far, I don't think she has crossed a line where her anger and the actions she took were completely unjustified (even if the willingness to kill when she can incapacitate may raise some uncomfortable moral dilemmas). We haven't seen her intentionally use her powers to harm unless she or the people close to her are being threatened. Lucas being thrown did pose cause for concern, though I would argue that was borne out of fear for Mike's safety and an attempt to separate the two than an intent to hurt Lucas. It will be interesting if El being able to control her powers in an emotional situation, or her choice to invoke her powers, ever becomes an issue in the future.
Continued from above...
Now, return to the scene where El throws Lucas. While Mike's words are as harsh as the first time, he immediately regrets them and is devastated when she goes missing. From El's perspective, the words seem to sting a lot more. A lot of this has to do with her identity and self-worth that has begun to develop over the course of those days, and many of those feelings run through being the subject of Mike's affection. The next time we see El, she staring at herself in the water and tossing the wig aside, as if she has lost something she cared about deeply, with that thing clearly being in relation to Mike. In her eyes, the possibility of experiencing those good feelings she was starting to have, that would include friendship but an attachment probably more profound than that to Mike, has been destroyed because of who she is and always will be. I would argue the wig tossing shows her despair extends beyond losing only the kind interactions of friendship; it also includes a desire to be pretty in the eyes of Mike.
When Mike is later cleaning her up after the quarry events, those fears continue until Mike intervenes and tells her she doesn't need the hair to be pretty. That's the boost in self-worth she needed to express herself, but I sense since this scene plays heavily in relation to those others whatever she was feeling had already been manifesting.
I've always contended that, despite being a fan of the horror/thriller genre, the magic of the show is not the supernatural elements or the high-stakes adventure, but the bonds between the characters. I'm glad that the emotionality of the show has been reiterated as the core to the upcoming season in spite of the ramped-up horrors.
You are correct that Eleven remains somewhat mysterious, which certainly adds some charm and intrigue to the character. With that in mind, I think the best way to interpret what she is thinking is through her actions.
It might be revealing to look at the two instances in the first season where Mike gets upset with El. The first entails Mike running home after they find what they assume is Will's body. Interestingly, it is El who is reaching out to comfort Mike (the first time she ever initiates any physical contact), but his trust in her is compromised and he swats her away. In the follow-up scene, though El is back at the Wheeler house it is clear from Mike's perspective that his perception of El has been cast into doubt. He doesn't seem to even want her there, but El works to prove him wrong.
The second time is of course when El breaks up the fight and knocks Lucas unconscious. This time, when Mike gets upset El runs away. Obviously it is not exactly the same, as in this moment Lucas's well-being is in question as a result of direct action from El. However, I would also argue a lot has happened in the meantime between the two of them that has fundamentally changed how Mike and El feel about each other -- most notably, the scene where El gets dressed up. Mike is wide-eyed upon seeing her transformation, and El is obviously touched by his approval, echoing his commentary as she looks at herself in the mirror.
Thanks for the reply, I am enjoying this conversation as I don't get to discuss the characters in-depth with people very often!
I feel like Mike having immediate feelings for El would kind of take away from the sincerity of his initial kindness toward her. He definitely reacts differently than Dustin and Lucas do, but I feel that falls in line with the trope of the leader boy having certain instincts the others don't. There's not really anything in his behaviour in that first night that he couldn't have also shown if Eleven had been a boy (though perhaps he was more gentle knowing she is a girl), and until El told him not to, he had planned to tell his mom which would likely have entailed never seeing her again.
And of course, it is soon after from there that they have several bonding moments that start to bring them closer (the recliner, the closet/learning about promises, giving her his watch, the aforementioned scene about Mike being bullied). That last one was the first moment as a viewer where I thought there might be something more to it, especially when they share a smile. And then of course the "Pretty good" scene soon follows. I would agree that for El especially it doesn't all happen at once.
The whole 'still pretty' thing also pays off from two previous moments, namely El recognizing Nancy as pretty and Mike calling El pretty after putting on the wig and dress. El's concept of pretty up to this point has been defined by conventional qualities she feels she has lost, and Mike saying she is pretty to him anyway opens up a whole new world into how she feels about herself.
My interpretation is that she had already probably developed a crush on him, and this is why she was so concerned about looking pretty to him in that moment. She probably doesn't know what those feelings mean, but then Mike's supportive comments follow and I imagine that would be lead to an overwhelming flurry of positive emotions.
The later scene in the cafeteria, El doesn't understand where Mike is going with the conversation but she doesn't seem oblivious that there is something more to it. She is, after all, the one who prompts Mike to continue on after he feels defeated trying to explain. So I think it all fits in that El doesn't understand her feelings, certainly not enough to put them into context of what they are or know fully what to do with them, but they are there. With all that in mind, Mike kissing El doesn't feel like a moment just from his perspective that it otherwise could have, and instead becomes a mutually revelatory experience for the two of them.
When do you think this is the moment that El and Mike experience different feelings for each other? Though they have plenty of sweet moments, I always thought that scene where Mike opens about being bullied, and El understands, was a turning point.
iTunes or Amazon, though my digital movie collection is quite modest.