A Retroactive Holiday Greeting,

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 Vintage Christmas Wreath Free Stock Photo - Public Domain Pictures

Hello again Reader,

Christmas came and went, and I hope you all had an amazing time. Hope you all got some good presents or bought some for others yourself. I for one got a Christmas tree coffee mug and some clothes from my girlfriend, and a pair of Christmas themed pajamas I’m currently wearing and will wear even when the season is over from my stepmom. Both cup and pajamas are as tacky as you can imagine (love it).

The past week has been nothing but running from point A to Z with each letter in between as a pit stop. I moved back north on Saturday (got my deposit back, yay!), and since I’ve had my hands so full that I’ve only managed to squeeze out an hour or so of writing a day.

Book three is advancing, though, and I think the stress of going about and letting my mind rest from writing has helped in advancing the story. As I’ve said before, book three is going to be shorter than two, more condensed, and though the arc will seem to have little to do with the grand scheme of things, I promise it will come in to play later. Here’s a sneak peek:

 

An incredibly important plot point I swear

No chapter releases today, sadly, but I’ll try to get them out either tomorrow or sometime at the start of next week. 

 

My Monthly Quota of Yapping,

File:Stranger Things 5 title card.webp 

Now, some of you must’ve watched the new episodes of Stranger Things 5. I know I did with my girlfriend on the morning of the 26th. (We live in Finland, so for us they didn’t air until the early morning hours).

I want to preface by stating that I do really enjoy the show and have enjoyed it since season one aired. But regretfully I’ve noticed a trend with the writing that others have as well. “What is it?” you might ask. Well, if you spend any time on the internet, you’d know. I don’t think it’s as egregious as some make it out to be, but at times it is irritating.

I’m of course talking about the brainstorming sessions, specifically when they plan something or are theorizing on how the upside down works. The: “Hey guys, insert what ifs and exposition, eighties reference, and an obligatory example of plan/revelation/theory explained via random objects so that a two year old might understand.”

I feel as though the writing team has taken that “people are on their phones while watching,” thing from Netflix’s analytics way too seriously, and as a result there is almost no quiet time on screen. The mystery is solved and processed out loud in real time as the characters yap about things we’ve seen in previous episodes as though we don’t remember them at all. There is an aspect of narration to it, and at times I feel like I’m listening to a wacky CliffsNotes interlude that we could’ve done without.

Seasons one and two are amazing at long periods of no dialogue with only the characters doing things in order to advance the plot. Now it seems that while they do, they must also explain, as if we lack the capacity to draw out the correct conclusion to what is happening.

This works better in narrative fiction, because the writer must in some way explain or show the motives of the character via text (duh), it also allows for a deeper connection between said character and reader, but movies and TV are a visual medium. We don’t need to always hear them yap about their motives or how they feel, we just need to be SHOWN it. The best example I can give at the moment is in season one where Joyce sees the lights flicker and goes all nutball putting up the Christmas lights to speak with Will. We can see her frustration, her panic, her hope, in the way she moves, in what she does. Now, its all talk, yap yap yap, and it gets old quite quick.

There are other gripes people have come out with, but I don’t give them as much weight as the ones I’ve mentioned. Dustin’s and Steve’s friendship, Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship issues (which I think were addressed satisfactorily), and the whole “punk-ass” scandal. Then there are the millions of plot holes and inconsistencies and of course the disappearing side characters such as Dustin’s girlfriend and the two deputies in Hawkins.

Nothing is perfect, not even Stranger Things, but I think it is enjoyable, nonetheless. The real test is how the entirety will hold up on a rewatch in a couple years. How easy it will be to watch from start to finish, and if there are any glaring mistakes or unresolved issues.

Well, that’s all for today. If you read this whole thing through, thank you for letting me have a moment of your time. I deeply appreciate your presence.

Until next Saturday.

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