Wasn’t terribly impressed with the first half of season 2 of Wednesday, but then iirc, it was season 2 of Stranger Things that told me everything I needed to know about those “Mystery Boxes” modern directors are so fond of to drop that show entirely… and I’ve been proven correct.
Absolutely not singing the praise of Wednesday to say: It is a better show, hands down.
The “Mystery Box” is a technique (if it can really be considered such) I believe coined by JJ Abrams where, instead of having a clear plan for a story and working from that, they instead pepper in mysterious and intriguing tidbits with little-to-no explanation, and a lure that it will all be explained “eventually”, stringing the audience along indefinitely. JJ has done this for every single property he’s helmed, and never once has he provided a satisfactory resolution.
Stranger Things could be said to have had this in season 1, with lots of spooky, intriguing unknowns, but I think the creators at least had a decent idea of where they were headed by season 2. Unfortunately, being the finale, season 5 suffered from the breadcrumb practice of the prior seasons and had to shove all the unresolved lore in at once, which has put off a good number of viewers.
Wasn’t terribly impressed with the first half of season 2 of Wednesday, but then iirc, it was season 2 of Stranger Things that told me everything I needed to know about those “Mystery Boxes” modern directors are so fond of to drop that show entirely… and I’ve been proven correct.
Absolutely not singing the praise of Wednesday to say: It is a better show, hands down.
What are these “mystery boxes” your talking about in relation to stranger things?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_box_show
The “Mystery Box” is a technique (if it can really be considered such) I believe coined by JJ Abrams where, instead of having a clear plan for a story and working from that, they instead pepper in mysterious and intriguing tidbits with little-to-no explanation, and a lure that it will all be explained “eventually”, stringing the audience along indefinitely. JJ has done this for every single property he’s helmed, and never once has he provided a satisfactory resolution.
Stranger Things could be said to have had this in season 1, with lots of spooky, intriguing unknowns, but I think the creators at least had a decent idea of where they were headed by season 2. Unfortunately, being the finale, season 5 suffered from the breadcrumb practice of the prior seasons and had to shove all the unresolved lore in at once, which has put off a good number of viewers.
Ah interesting thanks. Never heard the term before but know exactly what you’re talking about 👍