By Mrs. McHugh

HHS Librarian & The Hawk advisor

Spoilers Ahead!

An estimated 3.7 million households viewed the series finale of Stranger Things within a week of its New Year’s Eve release. Another million people watched it in movie theaters, an epic event for a television show. As the conclusion of the Netflix series becomes one of the streaming service’s hottest creations, one thing is clear: the only thing more popular than watching it is debating it.

Within minutes of the finale’s end, social media lit up with reviews and rehashes from TV critics and fans alike. Some praised the episode for bringing the team back together for the final battle, choosing awesome music in key moments, and ending with the next generation of players around the Dungeons & Dragons table. Others, though, expressed disappointment with what they felt were plot holes and lazy writing in a show they had spent a decade of their life watching. It felt like a betrayal to fans already upset with the three-year wait between seasons four and five, and the drawn-out release of the series’ final eight episodes. Some viewers went so far as to speculate that the finale was really a mind trick by the villain, Vecna, and a hidden episode with a more satisfying ending would be released (there was not). The Duffer Brothers, who created the show, gave countless interviews trying to explain their choices, and Netflix released a two-hour “making of” documentary in an effort to appease fans (it did not).

Since its 2016 premiere, I’ve loved the science fiction adventure show about a group of friends who discover a girl with special powers. Steeped in 1980s nostalgia, the show brought alive memories of my adolescence, and I felt the mythology was complex but not convoluted. Watching the cast grow up reminded me of the years I spent following the transformation of Harry Potter and friends from Sorcerer’s Stone to Deathly Hallows, something rare and special in entertainment.

After watching the finale, I was content with the ending. I was emotionally invested throughout the two hours, gasping – and then cheering – when Steve fell and was rescued, tearing up during Hopper’s heart to hearts with El, laughing at Murray and Robin’s one-liners, and ugly crying when Mike and El were forced to say goodbye. I liked the long epilogue which revealed that the characters we loved would be okay. I didn’t even mind the ambiguity around El’s fate; I was happy to believe. But as I started hearing the criticism, I felt some of it was valid. Where the demodogs when the gang fought Vecna in the abyss? Why was Vecna/Henry Creel’s backstory shortchanged for a play most fans wouldn’t have the chance to see? How did the gang get away with killing all those soldiers? And what was the deal with the terrible wig worn by Nancy in the epilogue?

I’ve watched several shows where a disappointing ending threatened to sour me on the whole series – Lost, the original Dexter (although the latest incarnation was a bit redemptive). But I don’t count Stranger Things among them. Maybe the creators were rushed, or got lazy, or tried to milk the series for too long. Maybe they could have made better choices for the final episodes. But TV for me is entertainment and escape, and despite any flaws, the Stranger Things finale provided that. It is a series I’ve rewatched several times in anticipation of new seasons, and can envision returning to in the future.

Even at Hanover High School, debate about the show raged for weeks after the finale. You couldn’t mention it and not get a passionate earful about what worked and what didn’t. Some longtime fans from our school community share their reactions below.

Mr. Henderson, HHS English teacher (who dressed up as Eddie Munson last Halloween): “The ending was exactly what it needed to be. It was one that honored the ’80s nostalgia that it so carefully created, while also giving a compelling story. In the end, it was one that did something rare in a phone-in-hand watching environment: it made the viewer think. Do you believe? Do you not? There’s no simple answer, spelled out for viewers over and over. What’ll we remember? I think we’ll remember a few things. Friends don’t lie. Hellfire lives. Keep running up that hill. And, I don’t think we’re done with the world of Hawkins. Call it a suspicion that it could be . . . a never-ending story.”

Gianna Steber, freshman: “Before I watched the finale, I’d heard some of the criticisms and started feeling negatively about it. But then I loved it. I thought it was a very good ending that replayed what happened at the beginning and started a new chapter with Mike’s sister and her friends. I believe the rumor that the finale script wasn’t finished and the writers used AI, but It didn’t bother me.”

Jameson Bryan, senior: “I thought it was kind of disappointing. The kids spent years fighting Vecna and they killed him in like 10 minutes; that was a major letdown. Everyone was nervous about a big death, like Steve, but then the only one who died was Kali and that wasn’t much of a shock. I think Mike and El’s relationship was undeveloped; there could’ve been a better ending for them. The epilogue was too long; they could have made that 20 minutes and made the fight scene longer. I liked how, at the end, the show had a full-circle moment and ended with Holly and her friends as the little kids playing D&D. Despite these complaints, I thought season 5 was good overall and I still think the show was great. It was just one bad episode out of like 40.”

Mr. Wade, HHS music teacher: “I think with a show that big, that’s gone on for so long, it’s hard to close in a way that’s satisfying for everybody. But I personally enjoyed it. I loved Will’s storyline, and how the show came full circle by starting and ending in the basement.”

Whether you liked the Stranger Things finale or not, there’s no ignoring that it was a phenomenon not often repeated: a pop culture event that brought millions of people together in anticipation and left most of them talking about it afterward. Fans can argue endlessly about whether the finale was good, but the fact that so many people cared is one undeniable measure of its success.

The documentary Three Identical Strangers starts off as a happy reunion of three young men who find out they’re long-lost brothers. But it doesn’t take long for the viewer to realize the whole thing is not going to end well. When the brothers find out they were separated at birth for a secret research experiment, their joy turns to devastation. And as I watched, so did mine.

Available via streaming services including Comcast’s On Demand, the movie chronicles the lives of Eddy Galland, Robert Shafran and David Kellman. When 19-year-old Robert arrives at a small community college in 1980 and is greeted by strangers as a an old friend, he is mystified. He soon meets a classmate who introduces him to Eddy, who shares his looks, birthday and adoption story. The brothers become a media sensation, profiled in newspapers and on talk shows nationwide. The publicity leads David to realize he’s actually the third of the separated siblings.  The boys go viral before going viral was even a thing, embracing  their fame with a bachelor pad and club hopping, an appearance in a Madonna movie, and even a Manhattan restaurant named Triplets. Everyone marvels about their shared interests and mannerisms, even though they were raised in very different families. It’s a very 1980s phenomenon, and I couldn’t help but get swept up in the fun they were having.

The first sign I had that something was not right was when I realized that the documentary, filmed some 30 years after the reunion, only has interviews with two of the brothers. Where was the third?

In the film, joy soon leads to confusion and anger. The families confront the New York City adoption agency that placed the boys, demanding to know why they were never told the siblings existed. The adoption agency claimed it would have been too hard to place all three children in one home. But soon an author writing a book about twins learns there was a much darker reason. The boys, and other sets of twins from this same adoption agency, were separated so researchers could study how different parenting styles would impact children who were genetically similar. You may have heard of the debate over nature versus nurture: is it our DNA or our surroundings that has a greater influence? The study, led by the late psychologist Peter Neubauer, followed the boys into their teens with questionnaires and observation. Its existence was a closely guarded secret – the parents were told it was a study about adoption – and its results were never published.

Discovery of the study devastated the brothers. They felt robbed of their childhood and manipulated as lab rats. While they dealt with this revelation, they also struggled with the realization that the similarities so obvious upon their first meeting masked some very significant differences. As the brothers grew older, started families,  and went into business together, they saw that their upbringings had instilled different work ethics, values and beliefs. Disagreements developed, and they were no longer the carefree trio. They also saw signs of mental illness, which they later suspected might be another reason their family was targeted for the study.

The movie entertained, but also made me think —  not a bad combination for a lazy Friday after Thanksgiving. It inspired some serious discussion about nature versus nurture, the ethics of research and the effects of overnight celebrity. We never get answers about whether the study learned anything worthwhile. To me, it was just a glaring example of the scientists’ arrogance at playing God. I felt terrible for the two adult brothers still living today. When we finally learned what happened to the third, it was heartbreaking. Growing up with four siblings, there have, of course, been times when I wished they didn’t exist. But I also can’t imagine never knowing them. While the brothers reunited at 19, the years they spent apart – and the knowledge of why they were split up – haunted their entire lives.

 

 

It’s not often that I’m surprised by a book, but Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Part historical fiction, part supernatural fantasy, Bardo breaks free from the traditional format of a novel to tell the story of how Lincoln is haunted – and changed – by the death of his young son during the Civil War.

The author takes two very different tacts in alternating chapters. About half of the novel takes place in the cemetery where Lincoln’s 11-year-old son, Willie, is buried. The cemetery is populated by the spirits of dozens of colorful characters who have not yet passed on to Heaven or Hell. While these spirits tell their stories, they’re encouraging Willie to move on, but Willie lingers, confused, hoping his father will return to bring him home. This part of the novel is pure imagination, whimsical in the quirks that each character is given and the rules  followed by the society within the cemetery gates. These chapters reminded me of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, about an orphan raised by ghosts when his parents are killed.

The rest of the novel is historical fiction, but instead of researching and imagining the people and events, the author uses only excerpts from primary sources. The author quotes the letters of White House maids and politicians as well as news accounts and books of the time. These excerpts, each followed by a short citation, tell the story in the real words of the people who lived. Writing like this is harder than just doing research and summarizing; this requires poring through countless documents, picking out just the right pieces and putting them together in a way that makes sense. I was awed by the task the author undertook as well as the story that was told. For the first chapter or two, I was a little confused by who was speaking. But soon I was drawn into the story and comfortable with the unique structure.

If you like history, especially Lincoln and the Civil War, this novel will fascinate you as it shows how a personal tragedy became a turning point for Lincoln’s policies. If you like fantasy that explores what happens after death, this book offers a lot for you as well.

Featured Photo: Robert Wuensche Illustration / Houston Chronicle

As a librarian, I spend most of my free time reading. But I’m no saint – or snob; I devote my fair share of hours to the TV as well. I can’t say that 2017 was a particularly great year for the small screen, but I will argue that the rise of original shows from nontraditional channels (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon) has led to more diverse, edgy and interesting choices than we’ve had in the past.  Below is a compilation of the best shows I discovered in 2017, the ones I’ve finally given up on, and ones I can’t wait to see in 2018.

Discoveries

Black Mirror: This British anthology series has been called the Twilight Zone for the new millennium.  Released in the UK in 2011, this quirky, sometimes disturbing show about the potential pitfalls of technology debuted on Netflix in 2016. I finally began watching it recently and find each episode surprising and often a bit terrifying. Sometimes the crazy ways they imagine technology being used don’t seem so far from the current reality —  counting “likes” to determine if you qualify for a job such as in Nosedive, or creating a clone of a loved one from a social media profile as in Be Right Back. Because it’s an anthology, you can watch the episodes in any order, one at a time or hours in a row.  If you haven’t watched this yet, check it out.

Dark: Another great Netflix release, this German science fiction series has been compared to Stranger Things, but is closer to Lost in my opinion.  Set in the forested town of Winden, the action centers on the mysterious disappearances of children every 33 years.  There is a creepy series of caves, an ominous nuclear power plant and some very dysfunctional families. Throw in some time travel and the show becomes a complicated puzzle you’re desperate to figure out. The first few episodes may be confusing as you try to keep track of all the characters, but it’s worth sticking with it. I ended up binge-watching the last four and now can’t wait for season 2. You can watch the show in German with English subtitles or dubbed in English.

Black-ish: Some family sitcoms get old fast, but this one on ABC has stayed original, in part because it hasn’t been afraid to mix humor with brutal honesty. Some episodes are used to highlight issues of race, such as season 4’s musical Juneteenth, when father Dre protests a school play about Columbus that whitewashes history (The one-minute video about slavery modeled on Schoolhouse Rock should be shown in every high school classroom). Others are about family issues everyone can relate to, such as the season 3 premiere VIP, when the family heads to Disney World.

Alias Grace: Based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, which fictionalizes a 19th century true crime, this Netflix original focuses on a poor immigrant girl charged with a ghastly murder. The six-episode series explores whether mild-mannered Grace Marks was insane when the crime happened, or knew what she was doing and was driven by the injustices showered upon her gender and class. Most of the show plays like a typical crime drama, but the final episode turned everything I thought on its head.

The Vietnam War: Ken Burns’  PBS documentary takes 17 hours to watch, but I think it should be required viewing for every American. I learned so much: the tragic French occupation of Vietnam whose mistakes our own forces repeated, the U.S. government’s lies and missteps that brought us into war, the physical and psychological toll the conflict inflicted on both sides, the violent and divisive protests at home. I recognized so many connections between then and now, as our deeply divided nation struggles over its identity and priorities.

Disappointments

American Horror Story: I’ve watched most seasons of this F/X horror show, enjoying (while cringing at) Murder House, Asylum, Freak Show and Roanoke. But this year’s Cult turned me off. It wasn’t the gore, although there was a lot of it. It wasn’t the actors, who continue to bring to life their new characters each season. It was the focus on politics, and a leader who sows fear and benefits from a panicked, irrational populace. It struck too close to home, given what’s happening in our country, and I couldn’t finish the season.

Walking Dead: I’ve watched from the beginning, forgiving the show’s many missteps (Glenn’s miraculous survival by dumpster, Carol losing her nerve), but couldn’t continue after the season premiere. Negan was a great villain, but the conflict with him has dragged on too long. When Maggie and company wasted time talking to Negan and his cronies in the first episodes – when they had clear shots at them – I gave up. I’ve since heard there’s been a controversial death this season that has riled up fans, but I’m not curious enough to spend the time catching up.

Debuts

Alienist: This historical crime drama, which premiered on TNT in January, looks intriguing. A journalist, a prickly psychiatrist and a team of investigators work together to solve a series of murders in 1896 New  York City. This unusual team pioneers true-life innovations in fingerprinting, forensic science and criminal profiling over a 10-episode series.

Castle Rock: Stephen King created this fictional town as the setting for many of his stories, and this anthology will bring together some of his most terrifying characters. You’ll find Pennywise from It, the mad dog from Cujo and more in this series created by J.J. Abrams. Since it runs on Hulu, I’ll have to borrow someone’s password to see it.

Roseanne reboot: Of all the sitcoms I watched growing up in the ’80s, I could best relate to the working class Conner family struggling to pay the bills and get along with each other. And while I’m getting tired of endless remakes and reboots and find many of them pointless, I will give this one a shot. I’m curious to see what the characters will be up to this far into the future and how they’ll be impacted by current events. This premieres on ABC in March.

Chi: If I had Showtime, I’d watch this ensemble set in the gritty, sometimes violent South Side of Chicago. The premiere in early January focused on a young boy who discovers a body, and the ripple effect it has on his community. I’m drawn toward stories of young people who battle poverty, violence and other disadvantages as they try to forge their path.