the duffer brothers are facing the biggest criticism of their careers, and i don't think they know how to handle it
holly is without a doubt, the most important character in s5 right now. she has the most lines, screen time, and in my personal opinion, her actress has done a phenomenal job. holly is a catalyst to introducing this concept of the kidnappings, vecnas overall plan, and more insight into the upside downs mythology created by henrys twisted mind.
but the problem with suddenly integrating a bunch of new lore into the show with a character as compelling as holly, is that theres just not that much time to appreciate the execution. our main cast is completely sidelined, and as a result, suffer in the writing process.
that same disconnect shows up really clearly in the way the ships are being handled. while it isnât the most important part of the show, relationships used to be where stranger things felt the most honest. now, both the romantic and platonic dynamics are floundering.
while i am for byler, i was interested to see what they'd do to strengthen mileven in s5. their brief hugs and fight were not the most persuasive motivator for an strong endgame.
but i can't even say the same about byler following vol 2, as their presence was underwhelming. i understand wills coming out scene was done in front of everyone so it couldn't be used against him by vecna, but it does reduce its meaningfulness. essentially, its being shown that a gay character who feels unloveable and fears rejection, has to accept that he has to be alone.
its not even just about the ships. the older characters like Jonathan or Nancy are often pushed to the sidelines unless theyâre needed to move the plot forward. the massive growth of the cast is impossible to juggle, which is why people keep insisting on kills.
simply put, hawkins is not big enough for all of them.
a key example of this is with max. after being awoken from her coma, there was just very little reaction around her. she didn't react to hopper being alive, nor did he or any of the other kids to her return. it shifts back to holly falling through the wormhole, the little kids in the creel house, and the main cast are left to *react* to that information, and the cycle repeats.
theres just no time for anything.
i am stil hopeful for the final episode, but i think a part of the reason vol2 faced so much criticism was because of the overwhelming input the duffers envisoned versus the actual scape they had to work with.
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