Slow to start, somewhat painful to watch the lunacy having lived through the D&D satanic panic in a lesser form during my youth. Thankfully, that became more comical due to the future politician in the basketball captain. A room full of grown adults will just follow a stump speech from a 16 year old and start vigilante justice is apparently where my immersion breaks.
The episode 4 run and eventual escape of Max is my only, incredibly minor, gripe. It isn't really a gripe though, I am fine with how it played out. If she would have failed to escape, the portal closed just before, and it was a super downer it would have matched the genre better (similar to The Mist or zombie movies). But then they wouldn't have pieced together the power of music properly, so trade offs. It reminded me of an older movie called The Signal from 2008 (best I can do
Signal / ST / Headphone).
Stoner plotline with Mike / Will is meh.
The fellowship of the ring plotline is where the money is at like last season. I think Dustin / Steve interplay is a key driver. That group in general is pushing the most interesting parts of the story.
Jim / Joyce / Murray is pretty decent. I want them to make it and for Jim to reunite with El because of feels, but it has the opportunity to go dark as well. Though they did that last season by 'sacrificing' Jim so I doubt they will double down.
I am really digging Vecna in general. Good back story, didn't see it tying in to El as much until it was spelled out. The last couple of episodes for El were key as the mopey bullied teenage girl character was hard to watch and pretty boring.
