I love that max is annoyed and flicks away her tears when reading her letter to Billy, like she's annoyed at her sadness as she doesn't believe she even deserves the comfort of sadness. Triste

I think you’re selling Max’s introduction kinda short saying it’s messy. Her behavior in episode 2 (the episode that features the scenes you used) makes sense when you take into context of what transpired in episode 1. I mean from Max’s perspective: she’s just moved across the country against her will and now has this group of boys stalking her for no apparent reason (she doesn’t know that they are trying to figure out if she’s the one that broken their arcade high scores). Her coming off a stand-offish makes sense cause she’s trying to figure out what they want with her. Part of Max’s whole arc is that she’s distrusting towards others due to issues with her brother/family but she desperately craves friendship/to be included in the group. So once she figures out that there’s a group of people who want to include her, of course she jumps at the chance and has a much more positive attitude. She thinks their interest align. And her character stays pretty consistent throughout the second season: she desperately wants to be included with the party and desperately tries to win them over but when she felt that the were excluding/taking advantage of her, her walls came back up and cold stand-offishness returned. Episode 6 with her conversation with Lucas basically explains her outlook and behavior. I haven’t finished all of the video, I’m only a few minutes in (I will) but Max has been my favorite character since S2 and I just wanted to give some credit to my girl. Edit: holy shit that’s a lot of likes lol. Happy to know others feel the same.

Something worth noting about Billy’s sudden changes in behaviour is that it’s a common tactic that abusers use to confuse and make afraid the people they want to control. It could also be seen as his racism overcoming his ‘too cool to care’ attitude as he only considers it important to ‘protect’ his sister when his racial bias becomes involved

It’s not mentioned in the video, but another line that will always stick with me was something Max said right after escaping Vecna. After narrowly escaping the end of her own life, she whispers to her friends who cradle her in her arms three powerful words: *”I’m still here.”* The suicidal undertones of Max’s character this past season were chilling and genuinely moving, which is why lines like at 11:15 rocked me to my core when I first watched this season. When you’re struggling with severe mental health issues, there will always be a part of you, deep down, that wants the pain to just… end. To be over it, to just be *done.* But in the end, you decide to live not for yourself, but for the people you love and who love you. Because you know the pain it will cause them should you be brutally wrenched away from the world. Max chose life because regardless of how she thought of herself, she would never want to hurt the people who cared so deeply about her. In other words - in recognizing the significance of her death, she realized her life had worth. And so she made a deal with God to keep living. Not just for her, but for them. (As a small addendum to this train of thought - this notion of Max’s life having inherent value is ironically twisted when Max proffers herself as bait. In Vecna’s eyes, Max’s life has meaning, but for completely different reasons. She’s just a piece on the chessboard to capture, a final prize to snag. And as rightly point out in the video, Max uses this to her advantage, but does so with confidence and purpose. Freaking beautiful.)

You clearly didn’t catch that Billy was only over-protective of Max when Lucas came around because he’s a racist. It’s got nothing to do with her, it’s Billy’s own racist biases/actions that cause him to do that. Also we’re meant to not like max off the bat, she is a kid who’s parents are super abusive, comes from a broken home, older racist brother who’s also abusive, and then she’s thrust into a new town/school. She was meant to be an in likeable character, she was never ‘broken’ you just didn’t catch the nuances before. Coming from max’s exact life but IRL it’s very easy for me to see that it’s not to black and white. Max has PTSD for sure from abuse since before she got to Hawkins, that’s also why she reacts with different shit like the trick or treat scene, she was just excited to finally be invited to something with friends/other kids and be herself without fear of her abuser. Yes Billy is an abuser.

Max was never broken. It's called a character arch. She was cold in the beginning because she's closed off and abused. She decides to join them (and scare them) because she wants to be friends with them but doesn't want to look weak. This is why she acts like she's too cool for them. She had walls up. Not really rocket science. Billy is racist and controlling and he hates seeing people happy. That is why he "suddenly cares". So many people want to be handheld through things.

Part of the reason I loved her change is because it showed all those moments you weren’t sure how she felt about the other characters, because she acted indifferent, THOSE MEMORIES KEPT HER ALIVE. These humans kept her alive. She acted indifferent because she felt she had to, but these memories SAVED HER.

The Running Up That Hill scene always gives me chills. Near the end that little growl Vecna gives once he realizes Max got away is great.

I don’t think that feeling a little relief when an abuser dies makes someone a bad person. In this case it’s not like she’d wish death upon him, or would kill him herself. But it’s natural to be a little bit happy that you won’t have to endure constant emotional abuse anymore.

I've got to disagree with the first observations about Max' character from season 2. I found the opposing sides of her personality to be pretty understandable and relatable from the very start. But the rest is spot on, without a doubt

I disagree with Max's introduction. Max has this mindset that she's going to be a loner during her time at school so when Lucas and Dustin invite her to join the group she doesn't know how to react. After thinking it through she gets excited to spend time with the group she got invited to. You can tell Max was happy even tho she was annoyed.

I hate how people say Max was only a good character in S4 like this is something new. Max has always been an amazing character ever since the beginning. She is really misunderstood and the other half of the time there is bias going on.

DONT FORGET THE ALMOST-DEATH. The pleading, the hyperventilating, the "I don't want to die, I'm not ready" SHATTERED my heart into a million pieces. What you said about tragedy hits home here. The pain of losing this character who's been thrown so much at by life, been through so many trials and tests of her worth, that we so badly wanted to make it through the battle? Astronomical. Just...Sadie Sink, respect for the phenomenal acting.

What I love most about Max: 1) Her and Lucas' puppy love relationship. He's a suburban, middle-class boy living in a two-parent household with friends he's known forever. Before living in a trailer, she moved constantly with her single mom, doesn't know her dad, and prior to that had an abusive stepbrother. Lucas' rose-colored glasses and Max's realism are so fun to watch if you can catch the two together. 2) Sadie Sink. She's on her way to becoming the next Emma Stone as far as loveable, talented redheads go. 3) Her hair. I wore it the same way when I was that age. Washed, air dried, not styled, and long. Classic tomboy look.

And it seems to me like the Duffer Brothers are using this momentum they built with Max to heighten the personal stakes of season 5, where defeating Vecna becomes about bringing Max back from oblivion (as they repeatedly allude to Vecna absorbing a person in a way when he kills them and Eleven sees in Max’s mind that no one is there even though she’s physically alive). And this works in perfect tandem with her arc, as we can see in her death scene that offering herself up to Vecna was never about a death wish, in fact she dies clawing on to life, begging not to go, because that’s what her last experience with Vecna made her want so badly and so we as the audience just don’t have the comfort of knowing she’s okay with what’s happened to her and we’re deeply invested in this newfound will not just to survive, but to live.

I don't think Max's behavior in the second season was that weird. As someone else commented, it's normal behavior for someone who moves around a lot. I had a friend in elementary who acted the same way. Her dad was in the military so they moved around a bit. She was standoffish at first, then one day we had to sit next to each other on the bus. Something made us both laugh and we quickly became friends, she would initiate conversations and invite me to hang out at her house to play video games.

I don’t think they necessarily fixed her. They just gave the character more depth

You know who else has been tortured the entire time and bad stuff wont stop happening to him? Will. He keeps getting pushed aside. His life was tortured enough already and as soon as he leaves Hawkins Eleven has no powers and Vecna starts to curse everyone else. Will is gonna get a huge season. The cruelty of fate. It wont be random.

Idk I don’t think her introduction is confusing I think that’s just you. Her being nice is because she secretly DOES like the boys and doesn’t want them to think that she hates them to the point of running them over which was the scene prior. She’s compensating. I always thought it was kind of obvious.

i agree max's s4 arc has been amazing but i disagree with your takes about her in s2- personally i saw her as complex and understood exactly why she acts the way she acts after her scenes with billy in episode 2, and honestly, being abused can make you act in a way that might seem a bit unclear and unpredictable to others. her change of behavior towards the boys after the car scene with billy in which he is obviously being abusive, is one of those times *though if you're looking for a "mixed" behavior, i definitely think the car scene represents that, and i'm not talking about billy trying to run over the party. even BEFORE that, billy talks about how much he hates this new place and max quietly says that "it's not that bad" but IMMEDIATELY BACKTRACKS when billy gets angry at her for saying that. i think this represents max's "sides" pretty well- how she wants to be and act, what she really feels and how she actually seeks friendship with the boys and WASN'T TRULY ANNOYED by dustin and lucas VS how she acts all tough because of how scared she is of letting people in, how scared she is of billy and why she has all those walls up, living in an abusive and emotionally manipulative household.* (not exactly relevant to the way she was introduced in the series, but worth mentioning, there is a book called "runway max" that tells us a bit about her backstory. back in california, billy scared away all of her friends and isolated her completely, and she blamed herself for it, the climax being billy breaking max's best friend's arm after he stood up for her against billy, and even taunted max while doing so. i think this explains even better max's conflict in s2.) + billy never seemed "PROTECTIVE" over max to me but rather POSSESSIVE and CONTROLLING. in s2 i didn't see it as him caring about /her/ but more like him caring about reputation & his dad's reaction (as she's part of his family now and billy is racist). was he really protective over max or just liked having control over someone and feel "stronger" than her, liked making her feel small and helpless because this is how his father made him feel? i think the answer is pretty obvious.

I just don’t understand how she was a “bad” character in season 2 but a amazing character in season 4. Isn’t that just character development and growth?

The whole Max running from Vecna and back to her friends scene gives me serious One Piece Enies Lobby "I want to live" vibes. I love it.

I'm so glad you weren't one of the masses that just went "max should have died" after episode 9 and I agree, max had the most impactful and emotional character development in the entire series that was very much grounded on so many factors in the previous seasons. The duffer Brothers did say it was essential that they revived her for season 5, which is why im glad you saw too just how much potential there is to them leaving her in that state at the end of the season. Overall great analysis, and max is currently my favorite character in stranger things, coupled together too with Sadie's tremendous acting skills.

Season 4 is obviously Max's peak but damn I feel like we gotta give some credit to what they did to her character in season 3. Sometimes I feel like season 3 is overhated just because it's the most "happy blockbuster" season of the bunch, but it has a lot of upsides too. If we didn't have those fun montages of max doing stuff at the mall with 11 and her friends, we wouldn't have had the rollercoaster of emotions that the dear billy episode gave us on the first watch

I can't even describe the sheer avalanche of emotions I felt watching that scene. For one, I was absolutely terrified because I fully believed that, if the writers wanted to, they could kill Max here. They had spent a lot of effort I exploring her emotional state and wrapping up most (not all, but most) of her character threads, and I genuinely had no idea which way it would go. And SOMEHOW they managed to get nearly the same intensity of emotional response out of me AGAIN in the final confrontation. Max's limbs snapping, Lucas being unable to help, and then Lucas's pure horror and panic as he's cradling her body and trying to comfort her... just... oh man. I liked Max in S2 even if I absolutely agreed that she was underused and irrelevant, but WOW. This season was utterly incredible.

What a beautiful character Max became this season. You mention in the comments that many of the characters in ST are a product of flawless casting. I think Sadie Sink is one of them. She IS Max, in the same way Gaten is Dustin. It doesn’t feel like they’re acting at all. They are 100% authentic. Please do more Stranger Things analyses!

I'm gonna regret this because I haven't finished the video yet, but you mentioned Billy not combining his two modes as a part of your clumsiness portion, but the two examples you gave are prime and perfect examples of how narcissistic abusers operate. He both does not care about Max at all, but also doesn't want her to have a social life because he needs to control her like their dad controlled him. It's actually very good cyclical generational trauma writing in that sense and not the best support for the argument to include. When you look at Max as well through that lens, you realize what the mode switching is about. She has also been being taught to live life in that way as a means of survival. The goofy Max example is her messing with the guys by having the best joke and totally shocking them and winning. In contrast, the disinterested max is responding to the guys doing something goofy which she might interpret as them "winning" because of the narcissistic abuse she's been trained to accept as normal behavior and adopted into herself. In the lens of her introduction, while I don't imagine the Duffer's 100% planned it out, they definitely knew from her introduction that she was dealing with abuse. From the storytelling perspective, we have been with the boys for all of season one so it is better for the audience to maintain a point of view that is seated with their perspective of interactions with her. You see the same with Billy as every interaction we see in season two is people of Hawkins encountering him, not him encountering people of Hawkins. They're outsiders to the story this season being introduced and it's something that the Duffer's have routinely done with all of their characters. Just like I expect Argyle will no longer be reacted to in season 5 and be more part of the team and dove into, Max and Billy became part of the main group of characters allowing internal looks as opposed to the introductory external looks. I also think the Nancy example isn't the best choice for comparison because Nancy is struggling with a different kind of psychological pressure than Max. She is struggling with the confliction of identity between being the goody two shoes ideal and being the bad girl ideal. She has spent the series balancing those two people and coming into her own as an adult. She's a teenager growing into an adult. Meanwhile, Max is a child growing into a teenager while facing severe emotional abuse. They're very different character stories and fit with the overall themes of relationships and mental health that flow throughout Stranger Things because they're distinct experiences. Eleven has parental trauma and trust issues. Mike is an empath who lets every one else cry on his shoulder but doesn't give himself time to cry making him angry when he has his feelings. Will is discovering his identity, whatever it is (Prolly gay) and is extremely stressed about it. Lucas is a black kid in a mostly white town who naturally ends up with the outcasts and nerds because that how it worked from the 80s-00s that wishes he could be popular and accepted. Dustin is the child of a single mother who is so supportive of him that he feels self-assured in his identity and is confident with speaking up even though people bully and are mean to him. Steve is a kid with a supposed jerk of a dad who, at his core, knows right from wrong because of that relationship and transitions away from that path when given the right opportunities to be selfless and good. Eddie is a social outcast who always feels outnumbered and scared that puts on a major mask of who he wants to be to survive, ultimately making that mask who he actually is when he sacrifices himself to give the others just a few more rounds of combat uninterrupted. And Mr Wheeler is a dick who doesn't care. There's so many, but that's the theming and why comparing the characters with the same analytical techniques may be misguided. Anyway, this was long. I like your video and it was super awesome that it got me so engaged with the content of Stranger Things as to write all this!

I was a fan of Max from the start. I always thought that she'd become more involved in the heart of the story, and there is something very charismatic about Sadie herself.

Okay but to talk about Max's reason for how she behaved towards the boys when she first met them is because she is clearly trying to guard herself from new people, she seems to have moved around alot, her step brother is mean, his father is meaner, I see why she would be untrusting of new people and would guard herself off. She later starts letting that guard down and tries to connect with them instead of resisting their offering of friendship. And maybe she feels that by becoming friends with them that she can better guard them from Billy's aggression. I've loved max and to say that her character sucked in the beginning shows how little people considered what she was going through. Billy's dad was abusive to him and in turn Billy was abusive to max and mean to everyone else. Max also had to live with Billy's father, though story wise the focus was on Billy's back story of why he is a dick, it has to be assumed that that enegery was shared through the whole house.

I would LOVE to see you make more video's on stranger things, I really like your arcane video's, but now that i see you're into stranger things too, I would just love to see more video's of you analysing and explaining the show's scenes and characters, just want you to know I'm all here for it. Great video!

I already know the answer: Sadie Sink. She was given more to work with for the character of Max and showcased how incredible of an actress she is. Same with Natalia.

I think im in the minority i liked max the whole way through... I thought she was a rly good character in season 2 and I found her being somewhat aloof and then super sociable to be easy to grasp because I feel like its relatable to a lot of ppl... (maybe just me who switches up their personality depending on their mood in like two seconds but idk)

I cried during that scene, because it was (for me, at least) the absolute perfect visualization of what it's like to fight BPD. It feels exactly like that. It's really, really rare that media or art gets that, especially "high brow"-media, especially, when they didn't intend to.

I get your main critique of max in season 2, and her entrance might seem confusing to an average viewer... but to me it made sense immediately. The sarcastic scene is setting up her emotional wall, but being new to school she is clearly lonely. The halloween seen is her nervously letting them beyond the wall. She begins with a prank to surprise them, then talks awkwardly/nervously and runs off ahead of them before anyone can question it. It basically allows for her to gain entry to the group without having to explain her earlier rude interaction. That seemed perfectly natural and cohesive the first time I watched it. Though I get some viewers might need hand holding to explain it.

Max’s behavior at the beginning of Season 2 actually makes sense to me, even when she seems to contradict herself. Aloof Max is not a different character than Cheerful Max, she simply is a protective shell. Max IS cheerful, she is kind, she is friendly. But her nightmarish situation at home has pushed those core characteristics of her deep down. It has had on her the worst possible effect abuse can have on someone: it’s made her think she’s not worth to be cared for. The inner contradictions of Season 2 Max are simply the foundation for Season 4 Max struggle with full blown depression and her subsequent ordeal with Vecna.

its also awesome that music saves her.. considering how massively relatable that is for most people. music saves people from darkness in our real lives all the time. so that just stacks more emotion and relatability on top of it all

Her character change is amazing

Yes yes YES! And yes! Max had a great evolution. About more content on Stranger Things? Would be awesome, hope the algorythm likes it too because it's a pretty good show, and would be fun to see you analyse the writing.

Love the easter egg at the "bad stuff vs tragedy" part with Powder, Milo, Claggor and Vander

I LOVE this deep dive into her character. I was actually nervous about how they would handle her character coming off of Season 3 (because this type of grief is so complex) but seeing Season 4, they nailed it (thank God they didn't kill her because what a terrible message that would have been after everything she's been through). Dear Billy has to be my favorite episode of the entire series and I hope we get to still see more of her despite her current state. I really love the effort you put into this video and I'd love to see more Stranger Things stuff from you! Maybe more character deep dives? Or maybe a look into how Stranger Things masterfully uses music (not just the soundtrack but the score, too)? Idk, I'd be really happy with any Stranger Things content.

Max being annoyed with Lucas and Dustin at the begining makes sense imagine you move to a new town new school first day on the playground a group of boys stalk you while your just trying to ease into this new lifestyle. Also max is from a big city idk where you live but city aren't that friendly cause all sorts of stabbings and horrid crimes happen on a daily there

I think that you misunderstood her, in the beginning obviously she wasn’t interested but after a conversation with Lucas she ended up trying to not be the girl who she was in the beginning who was annoyed, so after that conversation with Lucas she ended up trying be friendly and over the top …. That happens a lot with kids who end up moving to new places , trying to not care about the situation but also having an interest …. So it may seem like she’s jumping from one emotion to another but it’s just how some people are . The next part with billy , you don’t understand he doesn’t care about her hanging with others but he’s controlling when it comes to Lucas to showcase her inability to have racism within her… billy didn’t want her around Lucas because he was black and billy was racist. Hence the random caring about people she hangs with …. Max’s point in being there was for eleven to not come back. It allowed for 11 to venture out and she ended up getting stronger because of it …. She allowed for the group dynamic to change, they were a certain way and because of her they had changes. And when you say you could replace her with anyone you don’t realize but they were setting up her life and why she is the way she is … it’s subtle but it shows that her family situation isn’t great ….. Season 3 max was great as well , showing that 11 can build more friendships other than with the boys … in season 2 billy and max were 1 character in a sense and that’s why it seemed so confusing , but season 3 showed the separation of their characters…. There’s so much more I can say and go on about , enough I wanted to create a video comparing what you said but alas I feel this should be enough for now.

In season 2 she was aloof at first and rejected going out on halloween with them, but later she basically saves them from being ran over by Billy and felt bad for that so she tried to make it up. I think thats the way to explain your first point on how she changed her approach.

I actually appreciate very much that Max didn't have an apparent purpose in season 2 because it is much like how it is in real life. People we meet doesn't automatically affect our lives as soon as we meet them, I feel like when characters are introduced for a specific reason and just to affect the plot, it kind of undermines their integrity as a character, a person. If Max and Billy were straight up used as a plot device or a very integral character in season two then it'd have felt like they were JUST plot devices. You made a great point that the sauna scene and other scenes with Billy and Max could have easily been less powerful if it were random people, hence them being introduced earlier is great.

I think Billy being controlling makes sense. Its not necessarily because he cares for max but because he is looking for control where he can find it. His little sister max is just an easy place to find that.

Even though one might argue that the Billy/Max character arc didn't impact the plot too much in season 2, I still gotta admit that they were some of my favourite parts of that season. Billy is such a great written character and Max was a needed addition to the group

Great topic! While I agree that Max is the best, I think your view of her season one intro doesn't take the way people in abusive relationships and broken homes behave. I work with kids like this in classrooms a lot and think that there's a kind of mask they wear because of trauma. Of course, that trauma comes around to feed into her entire storyline for facing Billy and Vecna seasons 3 & 4.

I have a defense for her S1 inconsistency in the Halloween scenes. When she appears annoyed and disinterested, the setting is in the school hallway and she doesn't want to be seen at all, let alone being seen with the two "nerdy" kids (the only ones wearing costumes to school etc.) In this scene, she is extremely visible and exposed, and her wall is at maximum (no pun intended). But for trick-or-treating, it's dark and she gets to literally conceal herself behind a mask. And she doesn't stand out for wearing a mask because everyone else is doing the same. So she can be herself, and probably a more bubbly and intense version because she keeps so much bottled up. I still think your overall analysis is spot-on.

Max just keeps on getting better. Exactly what happened with steve

This may be hard to believe based on what I'm about to say, but I am not an emotional person (Or at least not when watching things like tv shows). But maxes arc/scenes in season 4 get me so emotional that I cried just watching this video because of the scenes of max that were in it. I honestly didn't really like max in season 2, but I really appreciate her more now and think the creators of the show did a great job with her this season.

Yo! I love your Stranger Things analysis! I love how you’re branching out with more shows rather than just Arcane, and although I do love a good Arcane analysis, it’s great to see other shows be included! We love the new stuff! Keep up the great work!

the running scene made me SOB, so accurate to the feeling of trying to live when every voice in your head is saying you're better off dead. such a good message, I really hope max's story helped some people.

I think the use of Max has been masterfully crafted. I appreciate this analysis but think some of the “holes” can be attributed to character development over several seasons. I didn’t find Max unnatural or under utilized in earlier seasons. The show has given lots of characters their time to shine, and there’s a lot. This was her time and she nailed it! I’m still emotionally shaken by the gravitas of her performance.

Hello, hi hi, I remember someone telling me the same 0:52 but I'm gonna tell you what I told them: Max started to be hype and nice to the boys after Billy tried to run over them, she was actually too scared because she had to steer the wheel in order to avoid hitting them. She felt such guilt, that she decided to join them trick-or-treating and be their friends. That moment brought them together and in my noggin it does make sense the attitude change. She had something to look forward to in a new place.

Max easily became my favorite character of ST, specially this season. The depth that they gave her made me feel strongly connected to her, all those feelings I knew them, I've been struggling with depression for over a decade, I have lost important people at a young age and I did not get through it till this day. The Duffer brothers really did a amazing job with this season. Man, I can't even think about Max because if I do I start to cry nonstop (I'm writing this while sobbing). I really love Max and I hope both of us, and everyone struggling, have a happy ending.

Personally feel like even if she was a bit weak in S2 it sort of back-fills a justification when they *do* make her and Billy so essential later. They may be replaceable in S2 but their introduction there makes it more impactful when they become irreplaceable in S3 and S4.

The way you structure your videos is so good. Like i didn't find myself fast forwarding once. The pace, the language, the eloquence is just *chefs kiss* loved every minute of it and your opinions are very interesting and well thought out. Great video!

Max’s character development throughout this series is just so awesome.

Man this is actually one of the best essay videos Ive seen on youtube. Everything you say is so well thought out and so knowledgeable on story and its mechanics

Man its awesome that you found new series to make video about!! Will look forward to it

I’m so glad you’re going into stranger things now; I just finished bingeing the show and loved your analysis of Arcane. Keep it up!!

Billy acting like he doesn't care about Max one minute and then being super controlling of her the next is not a mistake of writing. That's what an abusive relationship looks like.

Oooh, yes! I love that you're analyzing Stranger Things. I pushed myseld to watch part 2 of S4 sooner so I could finally watch this. It's really cool because your criticism of S2 Max is exactly the criticism my husband brought up yesterday about her, and I do think the effect she has on the story is more uniquely Her than in S2. I also just adore the points you always bring up about how story ambiguity and complexity can prompt audience engagement, and that's much better than just giving us clear answers. It's a lot more fun, as an audience member, to speculate and ask questions than to just have everything expositioned at us. Great video!

"This is a confusing introduction to a character" It's called letting your guard down and having a different mood

I loved her role in this season and i didn't know exactly why, but everything you said make me appreciate her even more and understanding it more deeply

I fell in love with Max as soon as I saw her, this is the best character in my life.

I love that scene. Thanks for a great video on it.

dawg i don’t even watch stranger things i’m here from your arcane videos but the way you speak is so compelling. i’m convinced you don’t even have a script just bullet points, but not in a bad way.

Max really stood out to me this season, the amount of depth they added to her charachter is amazing! Also did you say in the end that you're doing a GoT/arcane comparsion? NO WAY UR COMBINING MY FAV SHOWS TOGHETER!

She was never a bad character, it was character development. Really sad character tbh, she is so closed off in season 2 and when season 3 comes around, she opens up a bit and has fun with her friends and realises she has friends to rely on and becomes a ton more loyal (the walls come down). But then her brother dies in front of her and the walls go up again :(. She literally has survivor guilt + trauma, gets nightmares + visions and then all her bones break, she goes blind and falls into a coma. This character, out of everyone, deserves a happy ending.

YESSSS!1!1! i have legitimately been thinking about how much i’d love for you to do some videos on stranger things. very nice to see my wish fulfilled This season of ST has been incredible and w so many scenes, themes and plots, that’ve had me riveted and rapt, and i am beyond that you’re delving into it. Your format is fantastic, both in the way you set up these video essays and how you delve into them, and all the complex and layered topics and themes you bring up w such seeming ease - without coming of dense or in-apprehensible - i’m ever enthralled man

Youre easily my favorite character analysis youtuber. Amazing breakdown of character and it was all non judgemental very unique.

Thank you for putting words to something that was bothering me but I didn’t know how to articulate. Love that you are doing Stranger Things now. I think one about Steve’s character arc would be well handled by you. Just saying.

I love max. Yeah, she seems like she wants to make friends in in S1/2, and then goes to this loner chick in S4. But That"s the way introverts are. They see a group (of usually outcasts), they can identify with and open up to, and integrate. But if that group "turns" on them or something traumatic happens, they will revert to their previous introverted state.

I really hope you do an analysis of Nancy.❤She has a pretty great character arc, in my opinion because she starts off-and easily could have remained-your basic Damsel-in-Distress. But I think she has a lot of psychological depth as a person who clearly has an interest in the occult. Like Murray says, "we're wired differently." She becomes someone who really drives her own narrative and actively solves mysteries related to defeating Vecna, whereas in season one she's kind of just there to shed light on Jonathan and Steve's journey's. S4 Nancy gets her own narrative, becomes an emboldened journalist, investigates dangerous situations, and is able to access new levels of bravery (and badassery.) I'm soo, so happy they gave her the guns❤‍🔥 Really love your analysis of these characters.

Great video! I really didn’t care about Max until this season, and she is by far my favorite character now. This video perfectly describes why! I’m running on the elliptical, watching this video, and getting all emotional seeing the season 4 clips again 😭

you should lowkey make a video about writing but explaining it at a 5th grade level i think it would be very funny

she went from my least favourite character to my favourite character in the space of one episode. I actually ended up crying during her scene in the graveyard (s4) i really resonated with her character in that moment 😭😭 thanks for the video :) pls make more of these!

Max's running scene made me cry. "Running up that hill" was my childhood song, along with Flock of Seagulls "I ran". To me "running up that hill" is about hardship, hoping and looking for the strength in overcoming adversity and hardship. Right after that episode, I received a revelation tied to that song. Something I didn't even realize. I realized "running up that hill" is about the covenant between Man and God, we all want our pain and suffering to ease and all we had to do is make a covenant with God for guidance, something greater than ourselves. He gives us the rules and groundwork and all we have to do it take that path. Easier said than done, something Max's character had such difficulty in achieving, all she had to do is talk to her friends, open herself up but she could never do it, not until she was at rock bottom. Then, she made a choice and ran.

the back and fourth behavior is on point. billy is unstable so that reflects in how he treats Max and it makes sense that she would also have similar tendencies

Can you do a video on el going back through her memories and exposition/info dumping. I know it can be hard to give the audience loads of information like this and npt only stay interested but want more. To want to understand and I think those scenes are a good example of that.

Only now am I appreciating that Max and Eleven come from abusive “homes.” Both long for absent or distant mothers, and both have had ambivalent relationships with manipulative “older brother” figures.

Awesome job on this video essay! I loved it!

This is one of the best videos you’ve ever made. You explained so much so clearly. Love it

I've always liked Max. I mean, all the characters are stunning. But she is probably my favorite female character.

I really love your character/story telling analysis work. You are so insightful and observant and communicate your ideas very clearly.

Truly well done on this masterfull analysis. It's like a writing seminar, but fun.

That was sooooo well done. Thank you!

I disagree with your interpretation of Max in Season 2. She doesn't have to have an impact on the plot to be important. Her role in creating tension between the guys was enough for what was needed in season 2. When she fully becomes one of the guys, she was given a more active role in the main plot.

Is anyone Else suprised when they realized people first liked Max in season 4? When i Saw her i fell inlove with the personality Idk why tho. Im excited to learn why people hated her so i Can understand and see the improvement

This is literally the third time i'm rewatching this video its such a good and enjoyable video

I would love to see more of Stranger Things anaysis from you. I love how ypu break storylines and cjaracter actions/ backstories and relationships down and dive deep into explanations and psychology.

While we got a taste of it, I feel like the writers really missed out on going into more depth about season 3 max coping with the fact that her brother is the monster.

Max’s characterization HS in fact remained consistent, imo. Her being aloof and annoyed came first when she moved to town with her demon of a brother Billy. The boys chipped away at her tough exterior and got through to her to the point where she was first humored and entertained by them, but still annoyed. That annoyance became friendly and she was a part of the group, and it continued from there.

These are some good writing tips. Helped focus what I'm working on. Thanks!

Im so glad that you made a video on stranger things. I really liked this season and would love to see more content on it from you.

i loved the juxtaposed dynamic of her introduction and view it as a staple of why shes my favourite character. i see her actions as very clear and readable and the justification later on in the season only works to enhance that. i feel like you really skim over the points and dont do enough to justify them or at least convice me

I would love to see an analysis on Dustin and Suzie scene from season 3! One of the most memorable, amazing scenes of Stranger things. Yes, Max is an MVP of this season. In every sense - as an amazing character from a writing standpoint and in narrative and story. Her decision to became a bait, a price for this decision... It`s amazing. I didn`t expect her to get hurt. I was expecting someone would save her somehow. Stranger things really surprised me. Like, really.

i would love to see more st videos! it's been one of my favourite shows and the way you break down certain things i didnt even think to consider before makes it so much more interesting! like ive grown such a greater appreciation for arcane after watching just one video of yours about how arcane writes women, so more videos on st would be great too :D

Really great video! I really liked how you tore apart the character to show who they are at their core. You should do another ST video I'm curious on the ideas and theories you have for these characters!