So, can we talk about the ‘Stranger Things’ season 4 finale yet?

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

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OK, considering Stranger Things has now reached over one billion hours — not minutes, HOURS — I assume you’ve watched the finale and I can link some stuff here that might be a wee bit spoilery? If you are one of the five people who haven’t watched, I suggest scrolling down until you see something about The Boys … unless you’re not up to date with it, either.

One more character nearly didn’t make it out of the finale alive, until the Duffer Brothers decided they needed to keep them around. Can you guess who?

When Millie Bobby Brown called for the writers to kill off more characters, and for the Duffer Brothers to stop being “two sensitive Sallies,” they reminded her that this is Hawkins, not Westeros.

But let’s be honest, people are going to die next season. My money is on Eleven, and probably Jonathan. Steve is also a strong contender, but I lean towards Jonathan. Possibly Will? But more likely Jonathan.

Speaking of next season, it will largely take place in Hawkins, instead of, you know, all over the country and planet like this season.

They also intend to explain why the Upside Down is stuck in time at the moment Will disappeared. INTERESTING. I might have just bumped back up Will’s chances of dying next season. As for what we know about the Upside Down, here’s a rundown.

And next season’s runtime is going to be more like 10 hours, instead of this season’s interminable 13 hours. (THANK GOODNESS.)

Will Dr. Brenner be back? Matthew Modine doesn’t know.

As for the spinoff series, it will be “1000% different” than Stranger Things, and will not be about any of the current characters we know and love.

Taika Waititi is angry that Stranger Things “ruined” Kate Bush. Oh calm down, Taika, and let people enjoy things. You sound just as bad as those Metallica fans. 1. No one likes a gatekeeper and 2. Kate Bush is making bank thanks to Stranger Things. Don’t you want Kate Bush to make bank, Taika?

@metallica

#duet with @netflix Eddie, this is for you! #StrangerThings #StrangerThings4 #MasterOfPuppets #EddieMunson #Netflix

♬ original sound – Netflix

Noah Schnapp (who plays Will) posted a TikTok video showing DMs between himself and Doja Cat, who was interested in Schanpp’s co-star Joseph Quinn’s (Eddie) romantic situation. And now Doja Cat is pissed.

But who can blame her for loving Eddie, amiright? (Here’s where you’ve seen him before, btw.)

Now that you’ve had a week to watch The Boys‘ penultimate episode, can we talk about that big Star Wars-esque twist?

As for how The Boys‘ writers came up with that idea — which diverges from the comics — according to showrunner Eric Kripke, it developed out of the larger themes of the season, generational trauma, toxic masculinity, and daddy issues.

And this is a great piece about what a great job the show is doing with Mother’s Milk and Black Noir.

And speaking of Black Noir — of COURSE he’s like Snow White. Snow White/Black Noir … get it?

For some reason, Netflix has released Dave Chappelle: What’s In A Name, which is the speech Dave Chappelle gave at Washington D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where they were set to name a theater after him — until the whole trans controversy erupted. You should read this well-argued piece about the speech here, but the TL;DR is Chappelle doubled down on his “you can’t tell me what I can’t say” attitude; called himself a “once-in-a-lifetime talent” and his controversial special a “masterpiece”; claims the students are being used as “tools of oppression,” instead of, you know, expressing their own views; and revealing that the students hurt his fee-fees, without once thinking about how his own words have hurt others. Anyway.

Candice Patton opens up about the fierce racism and harassment she faced in the early years of being on The Flash, and how neither The CW, nor DC did anything to help or protect her.

LOL, Roy Moore can’t sue Sacha Baron Cohen for $95 million after Cohen made him look like a fool in his Showtime series Who Is America?

Now that studios are no longer sending their movies to Netflix, and instead keeping them for their own streaming services, is Netflix’s algorithm breaking down?

Martha Stewart wants her friends to die.

Kenneth Branagh is starring as Boris Johnson in upcoming Sky series, This England, but there are no plans to add a scene where he resigns while Yakety Sax blares in the background.

Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes are teaming up to write a Bridgerton prequel novel.

Americans’ trust in the news is at an all-time low. Interestingly — and tellingly, I think — Republicans’ trust in television news is on the rise, but their trust in newspapers is on the decline.

The Hollywood Critics Association has announced its 2022 TV award nominations. Props to them for recognizing some unconventional choices like Resident Alien and Chucky, and I think it’s interesting that they separate streaming series from broadcast and cable (though I’m not entirely sure why), but any group that refuses to nominate Late Night with Seth Meyers in the talk show/variety categories will not get my respect. 

HBO won’t be participating in the upcoming Television Critics Association press tour for the first time in a while. Looks like they don’t want to answer any difficult questions about the future of the network following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Not a great sign for those of us who love HBO.

Cancellations

  • Gentleman Jack has been canceled at HBO after two seasons.
  • Joe Pera Talks with You has been canceled after three seasons on Adult Swim. Both of these cancellations appear to be casualties of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

In Development

  • Highfire, a live-action crime thriller featuring a dragon voiced by Nicholas Cage is in the works at Paramount+.
  • La Favorite, a Johnny Depp King Louis XV film, has been acquired by Netflix. (But only for France.)
  • The Battersea Poltergeist is being developed into a scripted and unscripted series for Peacock. (It’s a very entertaining podcast, if you like spooky things.)
  • A docuseries about Young Thug is in the works.
  • Queen of Fire, a fantasy series based on Anthony Ryan’s books, is being developed.
  • The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, a documentary, has been acquired by Warner Bros. Unscripted TV.

Casting News

Mark Your Calendar

  • The Last Movie Stars premieres on HBO Max on July 21.
  • Sprung will premiere on FreeVee on August 19.
  • Honk for Jesus premieres on Peacock on September 2.
  • The Bond will debut on Discovery+ on July 14.

  • Ready to Love returns on OWN on July 29.
  • Dickie V will premiere on ESPN+ on July 20.
  • NYC Point Gods debuts on Showtime on July 29.
  • Hamster & Gretel will premiere on Disney Chanel on August 12.
  • Craig of the Creek returns on Cartoon Network on July 11.

R.I.P.

Gregory Itzin, Actor who played President Charles Logan on 24, among other roles

Larry Storch, Star of F Troop

Lenny Von Dohlen, Actor on Twin Peaks

Elspeth Tavares, Award-winning journalist, member of the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA), founder and editor of Business of Film, and founding member of Women in Film, London

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister

A few more comments on James Caan:

“Jimmy was my fictional brother and my lifelong friend,” Al Pacino said in a statement. “It’s hard to believe that he won’t be in the world anymore because he was so alive and daring. A great actor, a brilliant director and my dear friend. I loved him, gonna miss him.”

“Jimmy was someone who stretched through my life longer and closer than any motion picture figure I’ve ever known,” Francis Ford Coppola said. “From those earlier times working together on The Rain People, and throughout all the milestones of my life, his films and the many great roles he played will never be forgotten. He will always be my old friend from Sunnyside, my collaborator and one of the funniest people I’ve ever known.”

WATCH THIS

FRIDAY

Conjuring Kesha: The pop star Ke$ha hunts ghosts in this new series. And why not? Discovery+

Boo, Bitch: Being in high school is rough, being a ghost in high school is worse. Series premiere. Netflix

How to Build a Sex Room: It’s a home renovation series, but with 100% more sex dungeon. Series premiere.  Netflix

SATURDAY

Nightmare Alley: Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett star in this Oscar-nominated noir from director Guillermo del Toro. 7 p.m., HBO

Flowers in the Attic: The Origin: This new four-part miniseries tells the story of the Foxworth family before all that attic stuff took place. Premiere. 7 p.m., Lifetime

Say Yes to the Dress: Fine. I admit it. I might have sat blank-eyed for hours in front of this dumb show and I think that’s its appeal? Anyway, season 21 premiere. 7 p.m., TLC

SUNDAY

The Anarchists: This docuseries follows the story of a conference of anarchists from around the world who met every year in Acapulco with disastrous and dangerous results. 9 p.m., HBO

Who Do You Think You Are?: Season premiere. 6 p.m., NBC

Celebrity Family Feud: Season premiere 7 p.m., ABC

The Final Straw: Basically, it’s Jenga, but with piles of stuff. I think. Series premiere. 8 p.m., ABC

The $100,000 Pyramid: Season premiere. 9 p.m., ABC

FRI. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC Shark Tank
(repeat)		 20/20
CBS S.W.A.T.
(repeat)		 Magnum P.I.
(repeat)		 Blue Bloods
(repeat)
CW Penn & Teller: Fool Us
(repeat)		 Dynasty
(new)		 Local
FOX Friday Night Smackdown Local
NBC American Ninja Warrior
(repeat)		 Dateline

—

SAT. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30
ABC America’s Funniest Home Videos
(repeat)		 Generation Gap
(repeat)		 The Rookie
(repeat)		 News/Local
CBS Superstar Racing Experience
(repeat)		 48 Hours News/Local
CW Whose Line Is It Anyway?
(repeat)		 Would I Lie to You?
(new)		 Masters of Illusion
(new)		 Masters of Illusion
(repeat)		 Local
FOX MLB Baseball
(repeat)		 News/Local
NBC Transplant
(new)		 Dateline
(new)		 News/
Local		 Saturday Night Live
(repeat)

—

SUN. 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC America’s Funniest Home Videos
(new)		 Celebrity Family Feud
(new)		 The Final Straw
(new)		 The $100,000 Pyramid
(new)
CBS 60 Minutes Big Brother
(new)		 The Equalizer
(repeat)		 NCIS: Los Angeles
(repeat)
The CW Local Riverdale
(new)		 Penn & Teller: Fool Us
(repeat)		 Local
FOX Beat Shazam
(repeat)		 The Simp-sons
(repeat)		 The Great North
(repeat)		 Bob’s Burgers
(repeat)		 Family Guy
(repeat)		 Local/News
NBC Who Do You Think You Are?
(new)		 Dancing with Myself
(repeat)		 America’s Got Talent
(repeat)

2 thoughts on “So, can we talk about the ‘Stranger Things’ season 4 finale yet?”

  1. Therese –

    I think you’ve already mentioned one possibility for this fall’s hate blog (I forget the show). But I would like to see a love blog option when you offer a vote to your readers: The Sopranos Season 1. Bad shows can be great fun, but when you tip someone off to something great, it feels like you wrote that great thing yourself. (Am I the only one who thinks that?) Yes, I’m in broken record territory (I’ve suggested blogging The Sopranos before). But in this era of not-too-horribly-priced streaming services, before the great consolidation (when we must again overpay for the stuff we don’t want to get the stuff we want), HBOMax is not that bad a deal. In other words, this may be a great time for one more look at The Sopranos.

    Or maybe Deadwood Season 1. Your choice.

    Reply

    1. I love this idea, Stan. The Sopranos is the best television show ever, and I would love to have a good excuse to re-explore it. Let me think about it — between the House of Dragons and whatever Bachelor nonsense is happening, it might be hard to pull off. But like I said, let me chew it over. Maybe I’ll put it to the vote with the rest … stay tuned.

      -T

      Reply

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