we are disappointed by stranger things season four on several levels, but to say that we "hate" it would be false. in all honesty, our disappointment is a personal problem. do we like to think of it that way??
NO
but can we see how the show ended via a filmmaker's perspective??
*yes*
now, this doesn't mean we are happy with how it ended, but it does form this kinda stalemate between us and the show. so, in the end, the show should be thanking us for our very understanding and reasonable minds.
but today we aren't going to talk about our rants. this is a 'perfect' after all. sorta a weird way to start one, but it was important to compel our thought process, so we were all on the same page. BECAUSE today we are going to be talking about a perfect scene in stranger things season four. and that scene is the "larry the lego" scene.
if you don't know what we are talking about, that's a good inclination that you should stop reading before we give away anything more. we'll repeat, there will be spoilers moving forward, so journey on at your own risk.
one more thing before we properly begin. this 'perfect' will briefly mention the ship of byler. the neglect to officialize or address their obviously special relationship is one of the reasons we are personally disappointed with the season's ending. to say we were looking forward to it would be an understatement. however, we promise to put aside our heartbreak and continue with journalistic integrity the best we can. (though the wound is still fresh, so give us some slack if we slip 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭.)
but without further ado....
THE
🌈LARRY THE LEGO🌈
SCENE
*and no we will not be making any larry stylinson jokes,
even though the correlation is perfect *
(apologies as we obviously, obviously, went off track to rant about byler, which we said we wouldn't do. please forgive us and note that we were just trying to be polite an' give you some context for the scene we are talking about, even if it is some iphone-floating tv-bootleg context.)
apart from the other monologues throughout the season, jonathan's (aka stoned bro jo's) was not cliché or info-packety. bless the kids hearts, they really did take on weightier and emotional storylines this season (most of them at least....looking at you mike 😉). and they brought everything to the table and deserve major applauds for it, but the scripts and the lines of dialogue that they were given....oooooooof. what we are about to say is definitely a hot take and probably a very 'us' thing to say, but the dioa was so fake. it felt very overworked/stereotypical and, worst of all, it landed in the cliché zone. if you don't have an isswa (issue) with that, then good for you, you probably really liked this season. for us, we just saw it differently. yet, when it came to the 'larry the lego' scene, that was not the case - hence this 'perfect'
at this moment in the show, our boys (mike and will) have been through the least of their worries. they haven't been dealing with the threat of vecna or the ominous and literal up-in-the-air danger of max dying, but they have been dealing with the cracks in their friendship. on the surface, not the biggest problem, but we know that it's not just surface level. anyway, this plot mainly unfolded with will giving mike love-advice while mike listens obliviously and continues to throw the pity party he said he was not going to throw. however, not oblivious is stoned bro jo. and when they get to the pizza restaurant, stoned bro jo takes this time to give will the proper heart-to-heart that he so desperately needs. like it's one thing for your secret crush and best, best friend to be oblivious and ignore your feelings when they are so blatantly right in front of him, but for your bro to do that too. rough. luckily, stoned bro jo didn't do that.
probably our favorite part in this tender scene (besides the incredible acting - seriously schnapp, knock 'em out) was the well intended subtext. we wouldn't normally be applauding the duffers for this, because their use of subtext when it came to will's emotions, to say the least, was very intentionally harsh. the best way to describe it is like this twitter video. (also, apologies for the audio in the back, we clearly associate this song with byler whether we mean to or not)
but in the "larry the lego" scene, the subtext was purposeful and impactful. not a straight up diss. maybe that's because it's coming from will's bro, and therefore implies a more affectionate undertone of "you don't need to say it aloud for me to understand", and further connects their tight-knit brotherly bond. that said, even though we don't have any concrete evidence to say that this was will's coming out scene for sure, the "i'm here for you and love you regardless" response from jonathan was heartwarming nonetheless. especially on top of the hug at the end!! AH!! so sweeeeeettttttt!!
seriously, if mike is as committed to el as he says he is, then he is absolutely the worse friend. like, why would will be all emotionally invested in your relationship with el?? plus, it's not like will was quietly crying in car, either!! oh, stupid mike!!
ALTOGETHER, we would love to hear what you thought about stranger things' season ender in the coms. it would better the consensus we have going. ultimately we are team byler, but over that we couldn't get enough of the "larry the lego" scene. thus, we now induct it into the hall of perfects!! congrats 🎉 🎈 🎊
but you know what that means....
SEASON 5, YOU BETTER NOT 'F' UP!!