In this edition of Cinema Issues we will be talking about Conformity Gate and what it means for fandom as a broader subject.
So as many of you may have seen many Stranger Things fans expected there to be a bonus episode of the show which would be the true ending. It did not happen.
Fans invest far too much of themselves into shows and see them as an extension of themselves, its tribalism, as such a show not ending on the best note becomes almost a personal failure they cannot accept. This is unhealthy, you should not be this invested in a show.
It also presents as a cognitive dissonance as many of these people who would say it was one of the best shows ever made and that the finale was great- yet it needed to be changed and presented as the real finale.
It also speaks to a broader issue with internet culture, the popularity and belief in theory videos. There are a lot of theory videos for most popular shows but at the end of the day these are just theories they are what one person thinks and are often over done to be dramatic. Omg you’ll never believe what I’ve discovered. These videos are fine if you understand what you’re interacting with. However, it seems a growing contingent of people don’t, they seem to view these theories as gospel and believe they will play out in the show and then when they don’t get upset.
The fact is a lot of the Stranger Things theories positioned the show as far deeper and has having far more subtext then the writers ever did. It was just a goofy science fiction show about 80s nostalgia and ripping off Stephen King, it wasn’t even supposed to go beyond one season. There wasn’t a deep multi layered strategy for the show.
There is a sense of fan entitlement in the idea that they have to include the theory that you think is correct. There is also a righteous expectation of good writing, both can exist. However, there is also a lot of toxic positivity and hero worship wherein the Duffers and Stranger Things are being held up on a pedestal. This is done as people no longer believe they can critique something they like and that because they have spent time watching it or are a fan and it’s a part of their identity that they must defend it.
It was always nostalgia slop, it was never a deep show like Mad Men, or the Sopranos, or even something like Pluribus, but people made it out to be.
There was also a large degree of mental illness and unhealthy parasocial issues tied in.
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