As usual it was pretty good.
I have only the following few things to say:
#1 The music contained no glaring anachronisms that I noticed. Tiffany's album did, indeed, come out in 1987 (I remember being in Mrs. Kearnan's class at the time and remember it was about this time I was completely done with pop music...I was heavily into Def Leppard's Hysteria at the time). So that goes in the "good" column.
#2 No glaring D&D mistakes until the last damn episode where they work an incredibly obnoxious 3rd edition reference into the conversation. Just so awful. And while most folks probably won't notice, for me it completely breaks my suspension of disbelief and makes me want to throw things at the screen...do your damn research, morons. However, I kept this to myself so as not to spoil the show for everyone, stewing in silence.
#3 Millie Bobby Brown is still great.
#4 Actually everyone is pretty good; the cast is quite likable, the performances believable (mostly) and...I don't know..."heartfelt?" But the energy seems to be a tic down...I think the writing is starting to wear thin. It feels like everyone is ready to move on from this story...on to bigger and better things (film) or, at least, different things from Stranger Things. Maybe touring the comic con circuit is getting old? I don't know. Maybe it's just the writing.
#5 I'd really like to see a film of Elric of Melnibone with Finn Wolfhard in the titular role. He needs a couple more years under his belt, but he has the "wolfish" look I've always associated with the character...spent a little time messing around with AI modifying photos of the kid and I am more convinced than ever that he's perfect for the show. Of course, I hadn't realized till just now that someone had already acquired the rights to the literature with an idea to turning it into a television series. Of course, considering this was "news" six year ago, one can only speculate what's happened....
#6 The AI in episode #1 isn't great. But this is the way things are going to be.
All right, that's it. Later.
What about the glaring D&D mistake in episode 1 of Holly the Heroic, a cleric, being able to cast Dimension Door? (And yes, I was irritated by the 3e sorcerer reference as well.)
ReplyDeleteRegarding the CGI/AI, I was thinking their animation software must have released a new "throw someone across the room" routine because the Demogorgon did it about four times.
I do think that the show is following the overall trajectory of D&D: the earliest seasons were fresh and about something interesting, but the latest seasons (while still very entertaining and well made) are primarily about themselves. S1 was "doing" E.T., Close Encounters, Poltergeist, etc., but S5 is doing Stranger Things. If that makes sense!
It very much makes sense…plenty of “fan service” and expectations being met. Doesn’t mean it isn’t worth watching, but…cash cows, you know?
DeleteAnd, yes, I caught the dimension door gaff, but ‘dimension door’ was still a spell in the PHB and I can think of plenty of ways to justify the line. “Sorcerer” as its own class was NOT however (nor was it distinct from a “wizard”…also not a class before 1999). That just bugs.
Is it possible the Sorcerer reference was about a 9th level Magic User? Probably giving the show writers too much credit but maybe they have read the 1E PHB.
ReplyDeleteNo.
Delete"You can't serve two masters."
ReplyDeleteThe Duffer Bros. can either tell the story they want OR be beholden to a set of rules that are only there to move the story forward. In this case, they went with "telling a better story" than "being a documentary on D&D."
The majority of their audience won't even catch it. Their largest demographic is 18-29, with 45+ only a small minority.
Not to be "that guy" but there were sorcerers in 1983 from Bard Games.
True, but they didn't function the same (maybe I'm misremembering).
DeleteHere's the thing: the whole scene doesn't play well. I mean, it doesn't really make sense...obviously, Mike is trying to give Will a compliment and cheer him up, but there are lots of ways to do that even without citing pretty obscure D&D class abilities...to me, it is fairly blatant "fan service" to the "D&D fanbase" that is presumed to watch the show. Non-D&D players are just going to be like "huh, what? Sorcerers versus wizards? 'Innate' abilities? Huh?"
So, IF you feel the need to do some fan service-y thing, why not bother to get it right? And IF you just want to do a character developing scene that has "D&D flavor" (because that's a trope of the characters) why not pick one that makes sense, or that is sensible to D&D players and non-D&D players alike?
Hell, why not make a reference to psionics?
For me, it was just a piece of lazy writing, which is both disappointing (as I'm a fan of the show), and jarring (as a viewer). I can tell you that the reference went completely over the head of my family (all of whom have at least some familiarity with the D&D game) and elicited a 'What the heck does that even mean?' moment from them.
They've never got D&D right. The very first D&D scene back in Season 1, Will had to roll a 13 on a d20 to cast fireball.
DeleteAt least it seemed more authentic than the D&D scene in E.T. that the whole thing is riffing off of.
I actually find the scene in E.T. to be fairly accurate of the way we played back in the day (minus the miniatures...).
DeleteThing is, D&D (assuming it's played correctly) is a fairly boring game to film. The excitement is had by those playing it, but to the bystander (especially a non-gaming bystander) the only thing on display are people sitting around a table, staring at pieces of paper, scratching notes, and (occasionally) rolling dice. Not really "high drama." For the players IN the game, of course, it's a different story...but D&D is an experiential experience, not a performative one.
At least, originally....