By Richard Preston
These Stranger Things scenes were written, acted, and shot as drama, but they ended up striking Redditors as comical, either intentionally or not.
Asa science fiction-horror-drama show,Stranger Thingshas its fair share of humor to lighten the moment,with this seasonintroducing Argyle, who brought the comedic relief to the plate. He sometimes eases the diresituations withfunny quotes like schmakin', and his association with the Surfer Boy Pizza has gotten fans calling the number from his van. Though any humor was needed to balance out the mature and darker nature of season 4, a few scenes were written, acted, and shot as drama but ended up striking viewers as unintentionally comical.
Many viewers do argue about whether the show intended for certain moments to be comedic, with a few possibly being goofs or a simple lack of realization of a scene's ridiculousness. Some fans took to Reddit to share the dramatic scenes they found to be laughable that were likely not the expected reaction for moments like Jason's death or Vecna looking like a Grinch.
Steve's Choking Face
When the dark tentacle/vines grab Steve, Robin and Nancy and throw them against the wall, Redditor Zealousideal_Cry1867 writes "Steve's choking face was the funniest thing."
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"Killed me," fellow user Automatic-Challenge5 adds, "And I just imagine they made him do that for hours to get the shot." The terror of being strangled by otherworldly appendages should be frightening and Steve's face is, well, a bit comical.
Eddie Says "Okay"
Some Redditors laughed when Dustin, holding the mortally bat-wounded Eddie, says they've got to get him to a hospital, and Eddie replies with a passive "Okay." User ScrapMetalTinman writes, "Despite how sad the scene was, the way Eddie said "okay" just made me laugh. Poor guy ..." What a way to include this comedic intentional beat toone of Stranger Things' most tragic death scenes.
Whether Eddie's goofy "Okay" was an unintentional gaff or a designed nod to his offbeat character, Redditors were amused. "Omg," writes Reddit user kay-pii, "I didn't think I'd find this comment but I was cracking up at the way he said "Okay." Eddie's sacrifice is such a painful and beautifully crafted scene that it's likely the creators would predict the audience reaction based on how the character utters his line.
Mike Is Oblivious To Weeping Will
In one of Stranger Things season 4, Vol. 2's most heartbreaking moments, Will gives Mike a pep talk about the love he and Eleven share. Will then turns to the Surfer Boy Pizza delivery van window and heaves with sobs. The fact that Mike doesn't notice Will's misery made some Redditors giggle.
Reddit user senzukai points out the moment, writing "Mike having s**t for peripheral vision and not noticing Will crying," and fellow user AutumnLeaves1939 piles on with, "He was literally sobbing and Mike even looked back at him." Will sure did seem to be having a breakdown, and Mike was just a few feet away. Mike is a distractable teenager and the crappy van was probably loud, but his apparent callousness gave some viewers a laugh.
Jason Splits
As one of the most hated villains on Stranger Things, Jason gets his comeuppance in an unexpected way—he's glimpsed being cut in half as the earth splits beneath him.
Redditors responded to the imaginative cross-sectioning of Jason, as keep_calm_rocket-on says, "It was equal parts h[tldr_position]ilarious and satisfying in the middle of an otherwise very devastating scene." While Jason's death was horrific, the way it was done suggests that the creators knew the audience would enjoy watching Jason getting what he deserved.
Vecna The Grinch
Though monsters are supposed to be scary, some viewers can't help that the Vecna looked like a familiar comedy villain. "There's so many scenes where I thought Vecna looked like the Grinch and it killed me every time!" states Redditor nrobi312.
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User allyjos chimes in with, "It's his lil pot belly that gives me Grinch vibes lol. I always laughed when they showed his whole body or showed him walking." While it is unlikely the Duffer Brothers had the Grinch in mind as they designed their half-rotted Vecna, there is something of a resemblance.
[Those Subtitles!]
Stranger Things' inventive subtitles give Reddit users the giggles. User BarnsKazu simply states, "The subtitles. [Hopeful synth music builds]." This comment set off a series of Redditor responses offering their favorites: "[Squelches Wetly"] by Deep-Wedding-1880, "[Dramatic stinger]" by cliodhnasrave and "[Disconcertingly jaunty singer]" by Nataliza.
Responding to Redditor Agent_broch_da_moron's example "[Tentacles Undulating Moistly]," user betternametocome states "Man, subtitle writing for Stranger Things must be the most fun ever.]" Stranger Thing's subtitles are a source of playful humor for fans, who like to turn them on as they watch, but they're too whimsical, ultimately distracting from the dramatic moments they describe.
Nancy's Boards
Reddit users thought Nancy's attempt to escape Vecna by prying way too many boards away from a door was ridiculous, especially for one of the smartest characters on Stranger Things. Redditor elf_78 writes "Like you removed two (boards), any more isn't necessary. Climb through and stop wasting time."
TV watchers are familiar with action sequences being drawn out for dramatic effect, but when it's overdone to the point of being illogical, that's when the chuckles begin. At the very least, there was no reason for Nancy to remove the ankle-high board. "Big unintentional Looney Toons energy," adds Redditor 66666thats6sixes, hammering the final nail into the moment's dramatic coffin.
Goofy Vecna Crashes The Snowball
The unfortunate Vecna generates unplanned laughs in the snowball sequence where he faces off with Eleven. Redditor Patient-Paramedic577 mentions cracking up, "any time Vecna walked in the snowball scene."
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The squishy-footed villain can't catch a break on this one, even when Eleven hurls him; user kaZdleifeKaw says "The screen cutting to black, and then cutting back to Vecna being forced back by Eleven. Didn't look right." Redditor amayagab replies "Unintentional perfect comedy timing," and Redditor PrettyOddWoman adds "He (Vecna) was like :o."
Nancy Forgets Ted
Nancy omits her father Ted Wheeler from her list of family members she saw dead in Vecna's visions, prompting Reddit user mtan8 to comment, "I thought it was funny that she forgot him completely."
Knowing how oblivious and listless Ted usually is, fans were amused by leggywillow's suggestion, "My theory is that Vecna showed her father dead, but he just looked like he was napping in his armchair as usual, so Nancy didn't register (it) as traumatic."
Robin's Redundant Molotov
Redditor amayagab kicks off the conversation with the observation: "I laughed my **s off when Robin lit a Molotov cocktail and threw it at something that was ALREADY ON FIRE!"Robin's Molotov cocktail fiasco got the biggest response from Redditors on the thread.
TV and film viewers are used to modern action sequence overkill, but Robin's fiery missile hit a lot of Stranger Things viewers as simply too much. Vecna was totally encased in flames, so another Molotov could be redundant. On the other hand, Vecna was still advancing and not looking terribly uncomfortable, so perhaps the frightened Robin's second throw was justified.
NEXT: The 10 Stranger Things Characters Most Likely To Die In Season 5