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Admittedly, I don’t watch much television. I don’t watch many movies. It hasn’t always been like this, but I made a choice a few years ago to spend less time and money on leftist Hollywood and focus on more important things like faith, family, and productivity. There’s another benefit to my choice: I get to focus on greatness without trudging through the junk. My latest experience with greatness was Stranger Things 2, which I just wrapped up watching in two sittings.
No spoilers ahead. I hate it when there are spoilers in reviews.
If you watched and enjoyed Stranger Things, you’ll really enjoy the second set of nine episodes released Friday. If you haven’t watched the first, set aside time to do so now.
Rather than tell you why I enjoyed the second series so much, I’ll tell you what the Duffer brothers didn’t do that would have messed it up:
- They didn’t try to duplicate the magic of the first. Instead, they brought about a different story that didn’t attempt to match the style or pace of the first. If anything, the second was slower, a rarity in Hollywood that seems to think more is better.
- They didn’t get too clever. The (allegedly) easiest path to improve on an original series is to spice it up with attempts at cleverness such as dispelling assumptions from the previous or throwing in twists that contradict what you thought actually happened before. While there were the necessary flashbacks and two notable gaps from the first that were appropriately filled in the second, this series stood alone nicely.
- There were limited callbacks to the first. Not too many. Not too few. Most importantly, they all had meaning.
- They didn’t fit everyone into the same routines. Without spoiling it, I’ll say that characters shifted in prominence. They also shifted in their purposes within the story. This was especially refreshing since shows tend to put characters within their boxes from season to season. Stranger Things 2 kept things fresh.
There was one noticeable flaw, just for the sake of nitpicking. As an 80s period piece they do a great job of keeping it spot on except for one thing: Russians. Multiple characters referenced the “Russians.” In 1984, they would have referenced the “Soviets.” No huge deal, but the USSR was the enemy of the time, not Russia.
Lastly, it can’t be understated that the biggest strength of the series came from the very beginning when they picked the cast. Their choices were incredible across the board and they continued this trend with the new characters in 2. Sean Astin was particularly perfect.
The real challenge will come with trying to top their first two outings with a third installment. Two-in-a-row is tough when trying to achieve greatness with any television series, but they have the core necessary to make it happen. Can’t wait to binge again next year.
Yes, We Need Your Help
I hate being “that guy” who asks people to donate because I think our conservative news network is so crucial, but here I am…
When I left my cushy corporate job in 2017, I did so knowing that my family would have to make sacrifices. But I couldn’t continue to watch the nation slip into oblivion and was inspired by President Trump’s willingness to fight the good fight even at his own personal expense. What I didn’t realize then is that conservative media would be so heavily attacked, canceled, and defunded that the sacrifices would be extreme.
Many in this nation are struggling right now even though we weren’t struggling just a few years ago. I’m not alone. But I wake up every morning and operate the sites we’ve been able to build because there’s really no other choice. I refuse to be beholden to Big Tech like so many other conservative news outlets, which is why you won’t see Google ads here. With that said, it’s often challenging to pay the bills and it’s even harder to expand so we can get the America First message out to a wider audience.
The economic downturn has forced me to make a plea for help. Between cancel culture, lockdowns, and diminishing ad revenue, we need financial assistance in order to continue to spread the truth. We ask all who have the means, please donate through our new GiveSendGo. Your generosity is what keeps these sites running and allows us to expand our reach so the truth can get to the masses. We’ve had great success in growing but we know we can do more with your assistance.
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I would even be willing to entertain investments and partnerships at this stage. I’ve turned them down in the past because editorial purity is extremely important. I’ll turn them down again if anyone wants us to start supporting RINOs or avoid “taboo” topics like voter fraud, vaccines, or transgender supremacy. But I’d talk to fellow America First patriots who want to help any (or all) of our 10 news sites. Hit me up at jdrucker (at) substack (dot) com if you’re interested.
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