| Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who has zero recollection of where we left off with "Stranger Things." |
| It's been nearly three and a half years since Season 4 of the Netflix series dropped, so it's to be expected that details have gotten fuzzy in the time since. As we wait for the fifth and final season to begin its rollout next week, Kaitlyn Huamani, our resident "Stranger Things" expert, has assembled a handy guide to help get you up to speed in this week's Catch Up section. |
| The fuller version is part of our special holiday preview issue, which is available in print form this Sunday. It's a useful guide on what to watch on the couch, at the movie theater or on stage in the coming weeks. TV critic Robert Lloyd walks you though the blizzard of holiday programming available to watch from the comfort of your home. The film team tells us about the 12 movies they're most looking forward to this season, including Oscar front-runner "Hamnet" for Shakespeare lovers. And that's just the start — bookmark this page and let us help you find some entertaining distractions as the year comes to a close. |
| Also in this week's Screen Gab, our suggestions are two shows with wildly different approaches to case-solving and grief. One is a tender comedy about a septuagenarian widow who finds a new lease on life as a sleuth, the other is a psychological thriller that centers around an author, struggling with the loss of her son, and her growing paranoia over her new enigmatic neighbor. |
ICYMI |
| Must-read stories you might have missed |
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| Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, photographed at the Los Angeles Times Studio at RBC House during the Toronto International Film Festival in September. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) |
| For Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, making 'Hamnet' was 'something bigger than the moon': The duo discuss their film, which will wreck audiences with its exploration of romantic intimacy, grief and the inner lives of artists. |
| She's the wizard who shot both 'Wicked' movies. Her road to a Hollywood career was far from magical: Seven years ago, Alice Brooks thought her dream of becoming a cinematographer would never come true. A phone call from director Jon M. Chu led her to 'In the Heights' and more. |
| In 'The First Snow of Fraggle Rock,' the Fraggles take a big leap outside their world: Apple TV's new 'Fraggle Rock' holiday special finds Gobo struggling to write the perfect holiday song and visiting a new place for inspiration. |
| Jason Clarke enjoyed 'disappearing' into Alex Murdaugh in 'Death in the Family,' even if it hurt: The actor discusses the finale of Hulu's true crime drama and what it took to play the convicted killer. |
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| Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times |
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| Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson in Season 2 of "A Man on the Inside." (Colleen E. Hayes / Netflix) |
| "A Man on the Inside" (Netflix) |
| Dapper, distinguished, daffy, delightful Ted Danson, the gods' gift to television and TV's gift to comedy (though, yes, at times to drama), is back for a second season in this fine sitcom, which reteams him with "The Good Place" creator Michael Schur. It's a year since Danson's Charles, an "unlicensed trainee" private eye, working under Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), closed the Case of the Posh Retirement Home, a year filled with nothing but divorce work; and and so he jumps at the chance to go back undercover as a professor at struggling Wheeler College, where anonymous threats have endangered a sizable donation from a billionaire alumnus (Gary Cole). The mystery this time is matched by a mystery of the heart, as Charles falls for a free-spirited music professor and sometime figure drawing model, played by Danson's real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen. Also new this year are Jill Talley as the college provost; Max Greenfield (having a busy 2025, between this, "Long Story Short," "Running Point" and "The Neighborhood"); Constance Marie as Julie's mother, an ex-con artist; Jason Mantzoukas as her mother's not-of-this-Earth boyfriend; and the great David Strathairn as a prickly professor of literature. The eight-episode season is available to binge, but, remember, a potential third season (and there'd better be one) would be a year away. Pace yourself. — Robert Lloyd |
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| Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs and Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis in "The Beast in Me." (Photo from Netflix) |
| "The Beast in Me" (Netflix) |
| This cat-and-mouse thriller is the perfect suspenseful watch for anyone who's looking for a change of pace from the slew of holiday releases. The brilliant Claire Danes plays Aggie Wiggs, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who has shied away from public life since the tragic death of her son. She's a recluse plagued by writer's block, but when the ritzy and arrogant real estate developer Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys) moves in next door, her curiosity is piqued — especially considering that Nile may or may not have killed his wife (depending on who you ask, of course). Aggie ditches the project she's been struggling with and convinces Nile to let her be the one to tell his story. What follows is a twisty journey exploring themes of power, obsession, trust and, as Nile puts it in the first episode, bloodlust. It's got everything you want in a thriller, from cute (sometimes scary) guard dogs to breaking and entering, plus some memorable twists, strong performances and a particularly unforgettable moment involving a roasted chicken. I'll leave it at that to avoid encroaching into spoiler territory — the less you know about this series going into it, the more you'll enjoy the ride. — K.H. |
Catch up |
| Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone's talking about |
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| From left, Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield and David Harbour as Jim Hopper in "Stranger Things." (Los Angeles Times photo collage; photographs from Netflix) |
| In this week's edition of Here's the Return of Another TV Show With a Giant Gap Between Seasons, we aim to help you get ready for the fifth and final season of "Stranger Things" with a refresher course on the goings on in Hawkins, Ind., and its hostile alternate dimension known as the "Upside Down." The anticipated season will be released in three installments, beginning with Vol. 1 (episodes 1-4) on Thursday, Vol. 2 (episodes 5-7) on Christmas Day and the finale on New Year's Eve. But first, let's jog your memory on Season 4. |
| Where we left off |
| Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), the main antagonist from Season 4, had been seeking out four victims whose deaths would open four gates to the Upside Down. Although his final victim, Max (Sadie Sink), was only dead for a minute (more on that later), he succeeded. The gates converge at the center of Hawkins, culminating in a large boom at the Hawkins Public Library. Although it's dismissed by officials as an earthquake, our gang knows better — the Upside Down is merging with the real world. |
| While he achieved his goal, Vecna is weak. Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Robin (Maya Hawke) and Steve (Joe Keery) set his body on fire while he was attacking Max, who was in a trance. Although it seems at first that they have killed him, his body is gone by the time the crew rushes to the ground floor, and Will (Noah Schnapp) senses that he is still alive. |
| We also see the long-anticipated return of Hopper (David Harbour), who was trapped in a Russian prison until Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman), their mutual friend and a private investigator, help break him out and bring him back home. |
| Characters who died |
- Max (sort of) — Vecna kills Max, but Eleven is able to revive her by using her powers to restart her heart. The last shot we see of Max is of her hospitalized in a coma, with broken bones and her concerned friends by her side. She's alive, but her temporary death was enough for Vecna to accomplish his goal. Theories about whether Max's consciousness is trapped in Vecna's visions, or if she will recover with powers that enable her to spy on Vecna, have been circulating on social media since the release of Season 4.
- Eddie — This fan-favorite character played by Joseph Quinn died in the final episode of Season 4, but he went out with a blaze. Eddie and Dustin were in the Upside Down carrying out their part in the plan to attack Vecna, and Eddie shredded out Metallica's "Master of Puppets" on his guitar in order to distract the Demobats protecting Vecna's lair. After Dustin makes it through the gate back into the real world, Eddie stays behind to drive the bats away and buy the group more time. He is eventually attacked by the creatures, and dies in Dustin's arms after protecting his friends.
- Dr. Martin Brenner — The doctor, played by Matthew Modine, played a significant role in the controversial MKUltra program, a covert CIA mind-control and chemical interrogation research program, which is were Eleven got her powers from as a test subject. He was killed by military gunfire when officers invaded his research facility in search of Eleven.
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| That's just a sampling of what went down in Season 4. Read Kaitlyn's full report for more on other important matters to remember before running up that hill to the final episodes of the series. |
