Back in Italy

I'm writing this from my family house in Italy, and in a lot of ways, it's been a bit of a relief being back. There are also ways in which it hasn't, like the gigantic heatwave plaguing all of Europe right now, but unfortunately this was the time that I could go, so I'm trying to make the best of it: I'm currently sitting in the living room on the top floor, in the dark, with all the windows open. There's an anti-mosquito spiral burning in one window, and a fan blowing in air from outside in another, so hopefully this is keeping the bugs (e.g. mosquitos and hornets) away.

But anyway, back to... just being here. The last time I was in Europe was May 2019, not only before the pandemic but before I met my now-ex. I turned 40 during the trip, and had two birthday parties (one in London with my mom and sisters, the other here at Brozolo with my dad and extended family), as well as taking a city break to Stockholm in between. After I got together with my ex, I planned to bring her here, and show her London and Paris too, but of course, the pandemic got in the way the last two summers.

I was still a little apprehensive about traveling, since despite what almost everyone seems to think, the pandemic hasn't ended yet. But I figured that my parents and sisters have all traveled between continents without catching it, so I could too. So I booked my flights so that I'd be away for most of the month of July, and got to planning with my folks.

One thing I made clear to my mom and dad separately was that I wanted to keep as much as possible to how I've been doing things in the Bay Area. No indoor restaurants, although I was prepared to make a couple of exceptions, and I'd wear masks everywhere. My plans changed a little at the last minute, so that I wouldn't be in Rome with my mom on this trip, which has made staying masked up even easier, because being out in the country means fewer crowds and rarely eating out at restaurants.

I also stipulated that I wouldn't be stopping by London, because masks are politicized there (almost as bad as in the US), and because it seems that government policy there is to give everyone Covid and then tell them they're on their own. More seriously, much as I'd love to go back, I think that'll have to wait until the pandemic is more under control than it currently is. In the event, I think I did the right thing because travel through the UK has been even more disrupted than in other parts of Europe.

Otherwise, things are pleasingly the same as they ever were here. My dad's put me to work on various DIY projects, and I've also put myself to work doing some cleaning and tidying, because things pile up and my dad's not the best at housework... We've gone to see relatives at their houses, and are planning on doing some day trips before I leave next week. My sister's also coming over from London this weekend.

Some stuff is frustrating, like being unable to beat this heat, but generally it's nice getting back to my routine from before the pandemic. A lot of stuff is just how I remember it, and some stuff has improved (like the internet here at home is loads better than three years ago). It's also been nice just being Italian (ish) for a few weeks, and not worrying about the usual stupid stuff I have on my mind at home.

Now that I've managed this trip (hopefully without picking up Covid, but there's still a week to go!), I'm starting to think about taking more trips. Ideally abroad, because mask-wearing is so politicized in the US that I just don't want to deal with worrying about my seat mates freaking out because I'm wearing one. It'd be nice to see some other parts of Europe, or even to get out to Asia, if they're letting Americans in. I also want to go visit my other sister in Australia, though that might be for next year, hopefully when the virus has calmed down.

It's ironic that I earn more than twice as much as I did eight years ago, when I moved to California from London, but I'm taking way fewer interesting trips than I did at that job. Of course, part of that comes from the pandemic, but I'm hoping it calms down soon so that I can get out of the house more. In part, being here has reminded me how much I missed going to bars and restaurants and museums, seeing friends and family and hopping on planes every once in a while.

It'd also be nice if I could finally manage to get out to Vancouver for that trip I promised myself back in 2018, as a reward for starting my previous job. The mini guidebook I bought then has been sitting on my nightstand ever since, so it'd be great to put it to use.

Spoiler-Filled Thoughts on Stranger Things 4

When I logged in here just now, I saw a number of post titles referring to "all this" and "this chaos", so I'm happy to report that today's post is about Stranger Things 4, which I just finished a few minutes ago, and hopefully won't take in all the politics that have been giving ulcers to people of good will all around the country.

I mentioned recently that I've stopped watching Netflix much lately, in favor of the various other streaming services to which I have access. It feels odd to say, but I've even been watching more of Paramount Plus lately - this is odd because effectively I only watch it for Star Trek.

As I noted then, this latest season of Stranger Things was the big thing that brought me back to Netflix. It didn't feel very promising at first, either, with the first couple of episodes feeling like a lot more work than previous seasons. This is notable, considering that I devoured the first two seasons in 3 days each.

Once all that scene-setting was out of the way, I found myself getting drawn in further, until I was waiting eagerly for these remaining two episodes. In contrast to Stranger Things 3, this season did a better job of expanding the universe and bringing the characters forward in time, and doing so in ways that felt organic.

One way (here's where the spoilers begin) was in separating Lucas from the rest of the gang, as in the interim he'd started playing basketball and reinvented himself. The other members of the gang who were still in Hawkins had taken up with Eddie Munson, this season's new charismatic older kid, and Nancy and Jonathan were growing apart with their long-distance relationship.

Overall, the scene-setting was necessary, given how everyone had split apart in various ways since the end of the previous season. I just thought the business at Elle and Will's high school in California took too long to resolve itself, especially considering how little it got referenced later. On the other hand, it made for a decent foundation to build the relationship arcs for Mike and Elle, and Mike and Will.

I also have a weakness for stories where an ensemble cast is split among various different storylines that get visited bit by bit over the course of a show, or episode, or comics series. So it was good to see how each one developed in tandem, and played into one another by the end.

As far as the overall plot, there's not much to say. Another demonic presence from the Upside Down, another fearsome last stand from the heroes, another set of last-minute telekinetic heroics from Eleven. What elevated this season for me was the way that, especially in these last two episodes, there was a sense of real danger for each of the characters. We had Dustin and Eddie trying to distract Vecna's bats, while Max set herself as bait for Vecna, and Hopper and Joyce broke back into the Russian gulag, while Elle had to break out of the government facility where she was regaining her powers. And so on.

The best thing is, we've seen some actual permanent outcomes. Eddie died, and Max is comatose after being broken by Vecna but saved at the last minute by Eleven. This is in contrast to last season, where Billy's death didn't seem to leave that much of an impression and Hopper's apparent death was walked back literally in the same episode.

They also seem to have gotten the emotional balance right this season, too. While I was struck by the number of heart-to-heart conversations, I was also struck by the fact that so many of them landed, felt genuine. Steve's confession of his feeling for Nancy is one example, while Jonathan consoling Will over his feelings for Mike is another. The fact that the latter doesn't directly address Will's sexuality actually makes the scene land harder, as Jonathan offers his unconditional support to his little brother.

As an aside, that subplot, along with Robin's sexuality from last season, feel a little anachronistic, in that  it's difficult to imagine a movie actually made in 1986 dealing with LGBTQ issues sensitively... at least, this kind of story. But the anachronism felt justified, especially considering how good a job the show does of showing how much the characters love each other.

In fact, that feels like an outgrowth of the thing I first praised the show for. Back in Season 1, I was impressed that the creators had actually cast age-appropriate actors for the roles. This season, it felt like that had morphed into examining how their experiences would have pulled them even closer together. The fact that between seasons Lucas and Max and others had gone off on their own felt like a wound, and the characters were able to heal those wounds as the season went on.

Pulling back from the show for a moment, the other thing that told me Stranger Things was "back" was all the critical chatter about it on social media and everywhere else. It could just be the long hiatus between seasons, but I've missed this: it certainly doesn't feel like everyone's been talking about a Netflix show like this for a while. The closest I can think of is The Queen's Gambit, but even that was two years ago. There was also Tiger King, but I think everyone was obsessed with that because we were all in lockdown because of the (still-ongoing, btw) pandemic.

In a way, that makes Netflix's recent weakness more mystifying. I'm not saying they should make everything in the mold of Stranger Things, but it's disappointing that they haven't managed to create so much critical buzz for anything else.

I'm left looking forward to the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, which hasn't had a release date yet, but also wondering what will take the show's place after it ends. In addition, given how long it takes between seasons, what's Netflix going to do until Season 5 lands? If they're experiencing a loss of subscribers now, it's not like they'll be able to hold onto viewers before then just by dripping out trailers and on-set photos.

In any case, it's nice to see Stranger Things back to its strengths, and I'm hoping Season 5 sticks the landing as well as this. Hopefully we'll get to see more good stuff from Netflix in the meantime, too.