On July 4th, season 3 of Stranger Things hit Netflix and immediately smashed its ratings records with over 40 million households streaming the show. If we assume there are two people in every household (which I guess is way below the actually number), at least 80 million people watched the series. And, at least 80 million people were, once again, sold on the idea that Russians are the the evil of the world and have to be destroyed. As a Russian, I am not surprised by this turn of events on television. I just did not expect such a betrayal from one of my favorite TV shows.
This post contains a ton of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the show yet, maybe come back and read this delightful rant later.
The opening scene of the show takes us to a laboratory where a bunch of scientists is trying to break open the gate to Upside Down under close supervision of military men. The whole scene progresses in complete silence. The uniform of the general should have warned me something is off, but it didn’t… it didn’t. It’s only after the massive generator-thingy explodes, effectively burning everything and everyone to the ground, that the scientist-in-chief finally says in Russian: “Comrade-general, we are so close”.
Evil Russians working on opening the gate to Upside Down for no particular reason.
At this point I realize that season 3 is going to be about heroic American kids saving the world from bad Russian guys, and the first words out of my mouth are: “Да еб твою мать!” which is an inappropriate expression of ultimate frustration in my mother-tongue (Google Translate does a good job if you need a direct translation). The feeling stayed with me for the whole 8 episodes.
Throughout the series, the Russians are commonly referred to as “commies”, “the reds”, “russkies”, “the enemy of the state” and my personal favorite “evil Russians”. Don’t get me wrong, I am quite used to Russians being portrayed as villains in Hollywood, but for the first time I heard someone actually say the words “evil Russians”. Mind you, these words are not applied to particular characters in the series, they are conveniently used to describe the whole nation, as in: Italians are emotional, Germans are direct, Americans are easy-going, Russians are what? Russians are evil.
A Soviet colonel who takes special pleasure in drugging and beating up children.
Russians are in fact so evil they watch their comrades burn to ashes without blinking an eye, beat up and drug children on a regular basis and kick women in the stomach. Every Russian character in the show is flat and one-sided. There’s an Arnold Schwarzenegger stand-in whose only job is to look menacing and choke people mid-air. There’s a general who finds slapping teenagers fun and does evil laugh convincingly. There are Soviet soldiers here and there who add some “authenticity” to the scenes.
Russian Arnold Schwarzenegger
In Hollywood, directors usually offer a prominent antagonist, like Ivan Drago in Rocky IV or Egor Korshunov in Air Force One. One bad Russian guy against the American hero. In Stranger Things, no-one in particular is the bad guy, and that was the most disturbing thing of all. It’s Russians in general who are portrayed as the Big Bad.
The only kinda-good Russian guy in the series helps Americans close the gate to Upside Down and declares that he would like to get American citizenship right before getting shot by his Russian comrade for being a traitor. The moral is: all the Russians are evil except for the Russians who betray their country and decide to become Americans.
Alexi, the only somewhat good Russian guy
You might argue that the series is based in the 1980’s when the Cold War was in full swing, so portraying Russians as bad guys is justified. To which I have to say, that although the show is set in the 80’s, the show’s creators live and write in 2019. Stranger Things is a young adult fantasy, not a political drama, that did well without Russians for two glorious seasons.
If you think about it, there’s no real reason for the Russians to be in the show. It is never explained why they are trying to open Upside Down. The Russians are just a necessary “something new” in season 3, wholly caused by screenwriters’ creative choices and not by the plot necessities. Although making Russians the bad guys in 2019 can hardly be called creative.
By the end of the season, I found myself in an odd position of rooting for the “evil Russians”. Because if you show us as horrible human beings, well, maybe we should act like that and see what happens.
I’ll give Stranger Things credit for one thing: hiring Russian actors to play Russian characters. It annoys me to no end when American actors play Russians and try to speak the language. In 9 cases out of 10 I have to read English subtitles to understand what these “Russians” are saying. Here, Stranger Things is one step ahead of other movies and shows.
What remained the same is stereotypical portrayal of the people. Russians traditionally get three types of roles in Hollywood: spies, mafia, and, in case of women, gorgeous prostitutes. Sometimes those roles intersect. One could be both a spy and a prostitute. Or a prostitute with ties to mafia. Either way, everyone is an alcoholic.
Jennifer Lawrence as a beautiful Russian spy in Red Sparrow
Russian men have three names to choose from when they are born: Viktor, Vladimir and Ivan. They are also deeply religious (despite a 70-year-long ban on religion) and always tattoo crosses and onion domes on their backs (Hello, the Equalizer!). Next to the onion domes is usually tattooed a portrait of Lenin, because the Soviet leader and Orthodox Church go hand-in-hand together.
Russian mafioso in The Equalizer boasts some bad-ass tattoos.
It is also completely normal for a Russian to walk into the most popular church in Moscow (absolutely empty during service) and say: “We will avenge our mother Russia. America will bleed”. Sounds a little extra? Well, we Russians speak exclusively in pompous cliches that make us look even more evil. In fact, that is what we say to children before tucking them in bed.
Now, imagine general Eisenhower addressing one of his commanders before Normandy offensive: “Soda… is a luxury we have. Hamburgers… are a luxury we have. Time is not”. Did you just snort out loud? I swear I used a direct quote! Ok, I used a scene from Enemy at the Gates where Khruschev says the exact same line (swap soda and hamburgers for vodka and caviar) to his commissar during the battle of Stalingrad, but no-one seems to have a problem with that.
Krukschev (on the right) who, according to Enemy at the Gates, is a dumb violent lunatic.
At this point I am not asking for much. When Bruce Willis arrives to Moscow in A Good Day to Die Hard, and the guy driving him from the airport sings Sinatra and refuses to take the money, my heart almost explodes with happiness. Of course, the other Russians in the movie blow up whole cities, sell weapon-grade uranium, and betray their closest allies, but it’s ok… A nice taxi driver? I’ll take that.
Moscow taxi driver in A Good Day to Die Hard. Not charging a client for the ride is a very unlikely scenario, but I appreciate there’s one nice Russian character in the movie.
In Armageddon, a Russian astronaut repairs the spacecraft by banging a wrench on a piece of equipment and screaming “This is how we fix problems on Russian space stations!” Never mind that Russians were the first in the world to send a man into space. Aimlessly pounding with hammers on random spacecraft parts is exactly how we did it. But I am going off course here, the point is Lev Andropov is a good guy! He, of course, is constantly drunk and wears an ushanka-hat in space, but at least he doesn’t beat up kids with that wrench, like the Russians almost do in Stranger Things.
The Cold War has been over for almost 30 years now, but the stereotype of dumb, corrupted, violent Russians lives and prospers. Despite the tensions between the United States and Russia, it would be great to see my people shown as… you know… normal. Not the saviors of the world — we’ll leave that title to Americans — just normal. Can you imagine that some (a lot of) Russian people don’t have tattoos, can boast higher education, and earn money by working in offices (not by selling drugs)?
The worst thing is that neither the creators, nor the viewers truly understand what is offensive in these movies and TV-shows. You think I am offended by seeing Russians as villains? No, I am just sick and tired of it. Most people feel that saying “commie” and “russki” is insensitive. My American friend once asked whether I’d be offended if someone called me those words. The short answer is no.
“Russki” literally means “Russian”, no more no less. Maybe if you want to scream it at me just change it to “russkaya” since I am female (nouns with assigned gender are pain in the butt, I know). As for “commie”, you see, in Soviet Russia being a communist was a good thing. Being a capitalist was bad. So once again, it is not going to hurt my feelings.
What I found extremely offensive is when in the last episode of Stranger Things the main characters kill Russian soldiers and put on their uniform to sneak inside the building. This uniform was worn by Soviet soldiers during WWII. My own great grandfathers wore it in battles. You don’t get to just put it on and be the heroes.
Hopper wearing Soviet uniform in the end of the season.
You know what else? A Russian song as the background to the romantic scene in which Hopper and Joyce are making plans to go on a date. Do not use our beautiful music in a TV-show that vilifies Russians.
One last thing I am struggling to understand is how all of this is happening in the age of fighting racism, sexism, and stereotypes. Showing Asians as bad drivers is inappropriate. As well as casting Latino people only for the roles of servants. As well as portraying a gay person only in the role of main character’s best friend.
Some of my American friends of Asian and Mexican origin told me that when people ask them where they are from, they find it insesitive. We live in an age when asking someone “Where are you from, pal?” is offensive, but saying “I was busy saving the world from Russians and monsters” is totally fine.
I just finished Stranger Things and found this by googling “why are the russians evil in stranger things?” I am not Russian. Or American. But even I was perplexed and annoyed about the choices they made this season. As you said, it was never explained why Russia was trying to, you know, unleash a great evil on the world. Even if we go with the Cold War reasoning, these are people intelligent enough to know that they’re not just going to take down America, they’re literally going to destroy the world. They were smart enough to figure out where to go in America, how to build a machine, how to create a very complex security system, and yet they don’t understand they’re going to destroy the world including Russia? I don’t buy it. You don’t get to portray them as both evil geniuses and idiots at the same time, it just doesn’t work that way. Well, except in TV and movie land where apparently that’s as common as Russians drinking vodka.
In the end, it’s just lazy writing. We know nothing about their motivations, because as you also said they were just “evil” caricatures. You could have switched out Russian with anything else and the plot would have stayed more or less exactly the same, so what exactly was the point? It might have been an interesting story if the Russian characters were portrayed as actual people and not fucking Bond villains, but the whole thing just left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment, Amy! It makes me really happy that other people (especially not Russians) can see the same discrepancies and injustices that I do. I think I wouldn’t have been as pissed off if the Russians in the show had some depth of character and purpose. Why are they evil? Why are they trying to open the gate to Upside Down? What drives them? It could have been a good story line, but thanks to the “lazy writing”, as you correctly mentioned, all we get is one-dimensional boring stereotypes of characters.
I see the stereotypes and also cringe at them. Especially the russian stereotypes. Althought I really enjoyed the scientist’s character.
I would have been okay with a proper reason or motive, but thats just poorly written. But there is a lot of poor written content in the show due to the fact that it shall appeal to the general audience. Like, why don’t they talk to each other in the beginning. “Hey, there is the monster again.” “Okay, let’s stop it together.” and not as 4 subunits not knowing about each other.
The Alexi character was actually nice, and I was glad to see at least one Russian with a bit more personality. The only annoying thing was in the end, when he embraced the American dream and decided to become an American citizen. I mean… according to Stranger Things, apparently even Russians hate Russia and want to jump ship at the first opportunity :D
i am Russian and I also can’t believe that in most favorite TV show russians are bad guys,
I got so annoyed .
I am not surprised, though, we are quite used to being the villains in Hollywood. But coming from Stranger Things it really felt like a betrayal.
Hello!First I Just wanted to say thankyou for a very interesting article! But I did notice that you said that the man who got shot wanted to get a citizenship because he didn’t like Russia. I think that he wanted to get one 1 : Because he had made friends in America. 2: Because he had made enemies in Russia. I hope you read my comment! Thank you ☺
Hey Darcie! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment :)
What you say is all true, but it doesn’t change the idea behind the plot line: the only nice Russian wants to become American. Kinda like it’s impossible to be nice and Russian simultaneously :D
Yulia, I am an Italian Russian 16 year old, I live in Germany and altough I don´t know much about the Russian side of my family as my biological father left when I was born, I am deeply interested and a learner of Russian myself. I was also watching Season 3 of Stranger Things, I felt really off, just seeing Russians constantly portrayed as evil, it kind of makes me feel sick to my stomach and I just wish, one day, we could have a movie, like you said, where Russians were portrayed as well… normal people, hell have a movie where the CIA and FSB are forced to work together, as it has happened before.
Hey Jayden! I am really happy you came across this post and hope some other articles about Russia on my blog will help you get a glimpse of the country. Hollywood tends to portray certain nations in bad light, and season 3 of Stranger Things is only one example. I am glad you could see through it and realize that this portrayal has very little to do with reality. Have you ever been to Russia? I hope you visit one day if you haven’t yet and get a chance to learn more about Russia’s culture and make friends!
Dear Yulia
I understand why you are annoyed, I would be too if I were Russian. I was actually curious to find Russian People’s opinion about this show. Modern Russians are intelligent, open minding and definitely not evil. But all due respect, your government is still evil. Hacking in the American election; Occupying Part of Georgia and Ukraine…Putin constantly lying and brainwashing people. …. If Russian people want these stereotypes to die down, Russian’s Government has to do something noble such as to return occupied territories to Georgia and apologize for causing so much pain. Until then, good Russian people will hear these insults and that is sad.
Hey Keti,
I am happy you make the distinction between the people and the government. I don’t know whether you’ve been to Russia or have Russian friends, but I am glad you have a good impression of us))
To be honest, I don’t see how anything is going to change in the near (or even far) future. The government of any country is always looking out for their own interests and rarely (if ever) does something for noble reasons, unless it also brings some benefits. With that in mind, I think it’s up to regular people, like you and me, to stay humane, understanding and reach out to each other. If I learned one thing in the years of traveling it’s that essentially people are the same everywhere. No-one is evil or stupid or what other stereotypes go around about different nations. I can’t change what my government does, but I can change the way I see and treat people.
@KETI MCKENNA: I am neither American, nor Russian. Just wanted to say that it would be fair if you added wars, velvet revolutions, conflicts and Coup d’état The US government has caused all around the globe. Look at all adversity capitalism has caused in every corners of the world. It surprises me how some Americans support their government. They either have not read history or do not care about others.
It would indeed be fair :) I think the governments of both Russia and USA play political games for their own gain with little concern about other countries/people.
So by occupying you mean land returned that was formally theirs and the large majority of the population living in there are Russians wanting to go back to Russia? And by hacking you mean, “Access to election infrastructures in many U.S. states, Efforts to research U.S. voting systems, processes, and other elements of voting, Activity directed at voting machine companies, Efforts to observe polling, and Activity and its relationship to misinformation campaigns.” -https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveandriole/2019/08/01/mueller-was-right-read-the-new-senate-report-on-russian-technology-meddling-in-us-elections/#3bd572441ff2. Yet not actually changing votes or doing anything that would have effected the outcome of the polls. And could you kindly link some places you got evidence of “Putin constantly lying and brainwashing people.” If we are going to be like this how about I say how America renounces treaties, invades foreign nations because they do things America doesn’t like, and Trump constantly lying and brainwashing people. Also, “The US Interfered in Elections of at Least 85 Countries Worldwide Since 1945.” – https://www.globalresearch.ca/us-interfered-in-elections-of-at-least-85-countries-worldwide-since-1945/5601481. Now stop talking with complete patriotic bullshit and fact check. Bye :)
I also googled “in stranger things why was Russia the enemy”!
So glad people are finding the article! When I was writing it, it didn’t occur to me people would be looking for these keywords :D
Actually, they weren’t making this about the “evil Russians” against the “good Americans”. The Russians came to the US because the gate here worked and their spies informed them of this. There was no plot to attack America. Only to open the gate that they couldn’t open back home. The “evil Russians” comment was made by the kids. That doesn’t make them evil. It’s just the perception of the kids and, being the same age as those kids at that time, that writing hit the nail on the head with the way the majority of American’s felt. In 1985, the US and Russia were in direct opposition of each other. It makes sense that they would both be trying to achieve the same goal. Even if that goal was incredibly stupid. If there was going to be another country doing what they did in Season 3, it would have made no sense. The writers were just capturing the “feel” of 1985 and it felt exactly like when I was that age. Try to ignore the troubles of today when you watch it. If you were a kid back then, try to put yourself back in that time. If you were too young to remember or weren’t alive back then, take the opportunity to see how we thought and lived back then. I love the nostalgia when I watch the show. The only thing I noticed, in all three seasons, was the use of the word “trope”. I never heard that word used in conversation until the 90’s. Other than that, it’s been perfect. So, again, the writers weren’t trying to make Russia out to be evil or trying to destroy the world. The Russian government, being directly opposed to us at that time, made the most sense and the writers were just trying to capture that feeling again. Russia tried to open a portal in their country and it didn’t work because Eleven opened it here and that’s where the border is weakest. They probably figured, they better harness whatever power was there before the “dirty Americans” did, giving them the advantage. Just try not to be so quick to get offended. Try thinking of an alternative view point before you get angry about something.
Thank you for correcting this person. This article is a bit ridiculous rushing into assuming too many things that are just not true. Almost as if they want something to be offended by so they can complain about it.
Hi there! “This person” here! My name is Yulia, I am the author of this article and the blog :) I would like to point out that in the article I am not “assuming many things that are just not true”. I am not stating facts, I am conveying my personal feelings, and as such feelings cannot be “not true”.
Hey Chuck! I understand that Soviet Union being evil is exactly how the people (and kids) perceived it back then. Nevertheless, I can’t agree that Russian people aren’t shown as evil in the series. If we were talking about American characters talking about Russians and how bad they are – that’s perception. But we actually see Russian characters on screen doing horrific things, like drugging children, beating women, and even killing each other for no particular reason. That is the definition of showing Russians as evil.
I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. We can look at the same thing and see it differently. That’s ok.
Also, besides showing Russians doing evil things without any explanation, the show has no problem with killing them. Like casually machinegunning Russian persons on sight, by main characters, without any flinch or comment. That’s dehumanization based on ethnic/national criteria. Even shows in USSR didnt show americans killed on spot without any explanation; that’s more from a Goebbels guide to screenwriting.
Imagine if in the show would be “evil Mexicans”, “evil Jews” or “evil Chinese”, which the main character would shot on spot, and everybody just laughed and move on. The outrage would be such that the show would be cancelled in matter of hours.
Thank you for weighing in and sorry it took me so long to reply!
Completely agree. That moment in the end of the season when Hopper comes out of an elevator and starts shooting at soldiers was really disturbing, especially given that it’s a TV-show that targets kids and teenagers. I doubt there would be season four, if instead of “evil Russians” there were “evil Mexicans” or “evil Jews”, as you said.
A lot of Americans died on the series too. Like the part where tens of people were turned into mass of flesh.
by the way, Russian is trying open the gate but they did not because the kid stopping them so yeah also I love Russian, not their people I like their tank plane and car
Hey Yulia,
I really appreciate your article as it gives me a better impression on what a Russian would think about this clear image that stranger things 3 gives us here.
I guess I find it kind of unsurprising that you are tired of these portayals and I as a German who watched Indiana Jones and others absolutely feels with you.
What I was also wondering: Is there a russian dub of stranger things 3? If yes … are the russians the russians? :D
Thanks for answering and have a nice Sunday!
Hey Niklas!
Sorry it took me so long to reply! I feel your pain))) There’s a handful of nations that are always portrayed in the same light in Hollywood. I had to search online for Stranger Things in Russian, and yes, it’s dubbed! Russians are Russians :D It would be hard to present them as anyone else what with the uniform and all :)
This is a great article. As an American who has spent some time in Russia, I find it really distressing (but not surprising) that this kind of xenophobia runs so rampant in American culture.
Thank you! I think we need to get to know each other better for these stereotypes to die down. Once you meet Russian people in real life it quickly becomes clear that we don’t drink vodka on a daily basis, dance with bears or play balalaika. I hope it will change sooner than later!
Hi Yulia,
funnily enough, I found your post searching for quite the same keywords as Amy, as I was pretty shocked about this first scene, too, produced in 2019!!!
As you say, in a time where women, black people and heterosexuals can be found in more and more hero roles in films and series.
Personally, I’m from East-Germany and my grandparents certainly don’t have the best image from the Russians. Nevertheless, we are a new generation and when I hear voices saying that Russia tends to be misunderstood, I can totally image it to be true. The world is rarely black and white.
I’m also annoyed about Germans being presented as Nazis over and over again and I’m wondering when is this going to end! I wish we could just let let these stereotypes go.
I feel very sorry for the Russians to be presented in this way.
I wish there could be more films and series from other countries being shown globally. It would open up people’s perspective and make it easier for them to sympathize with other countries and cultures.
By the way, do you have any Russian films to recommend? :)
Kind regards from Berlin,
Caro
Hey Caro! I live in Germany right now and have been to Berlin a few times. You live in a cool and fun city :)
I couldn’t agree more that watching movies and TV-series made in different countries, not just Hollywood, would broaden people’s perspectives (let alone actually traveling the world and seeing it with you own eyes). Unfortunately, Hollywood movies are the only ones that the whole world gets to see. Although we have plenty of great films made in Russia, Russians are the only ones watching them. So in a way, USA gets to say anything they want through this medium, and the whole world will listen. We should learn how to make better quality movies and how to promote them world-wide.
I was actually thinking of writing a post with my favorite Russian movies and books. But off the top of my head, I’d recommend to watch Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears. It’s a 1980 melodrama that won Oscar as the best foreign film that year. Hope you enjoy it!
Keti, Russian government is EVIL? But American and British governments are good, right?
Talking about brain washing…
Caro, watch Brat 1 and Brat 2 :)
Filip, I had the same thoughts, you take any powerful government in the world and one can make a long list of horrible things they have done.
Caro, Brother (Brat in Russian) is a really good recommendation :)
Hello, just found this by googling why Soviets were using WW2 uniforms rather than current uniform at the time. And why would they haul their uniforms there in the first place! I’m glad that I’m not the only one tired of evil Russians routine :)
If you knew how happy it makes me to know I am not the only who thinks evil Russians are an overused stereotype! :) Glad you came across my post and thank you for leaving a comment!
Hey Yulia, so I don’t know if you know this but they tried to make it seem like the show is in the real world in the mid 80’s( like what we saw with the Reagan Bush ‘84 election signs) and therefore the writers are attempting to make it as realistic as possible. I don’t know if you know about this little thing called The Cold War, but it makes perfect sense that the Soviet Union would attempt to create a super weapon to destroy the United States. This isn’t just some throw away villain named Ivan or something it’s a portrayal of the Soviet Union as whole. And as you may or may not know being from Russia and all, the Soviets were pretty terrible people who did horrific things so please do not complain about a very fictional show portraying the very real Soviet Union in its true form.
Hey Mike! I addressed everything you mentioned (the 80’s and the Cold War) in the post itself, so nothing more to add except maybe that you don’t need to be so condescending when talking to people.
As for Soviets being “pretty terrible people who did horrific things”, if you consider 300 million people terrible based on their country of birth, I don’t think there’s anything I can say that would convince you otherwise.
I wanted to leave my reply first to Yulia but I think I’ll take a moment to highlight a comment from Mike that I read.
First of all – Mike, please pick up a book and read some history prior to offending someone’s culture and its past. It would be great for you to learn to have a broader view on things (especially living in the 21st century). Because God forbid you ever say that Muslims are terrorists … and thats exactly how you just generalised a whole society that was living in Russia during the USSR.
And Yulia…sorry my emotions got a hold of me. And thank you for the article! It would be great for more people to read it and understand a broader viewpoint than just that “Russians are evil”. I think Netflix should be more careful with these things…especially considering the young generation that watches the series and builds up their minds based on things they see on screen (even if its fiction).
Hey Anastasia! Thank you for leaving this comment, so good to feel someone’s support! And I personally took a few hours to cool off before writing my response to Mike :D Otherwise it would have been just as emotional as yours.
I completely agree that the younger audience makes conclusions, even if not consciously, after watching the series. And season 3 doesn’t provide background for critical thinking or understanding of complex historical events of the time (at least in the storyline with Russians), so in the end the take-away is as simple as Russians are evil. I hope they will change things around in season 4.
Hi Yulia. Thank you for writing this article! I’m so glad that there are other people who saw something wrong with the show’s very one-sided, flat, xenophobic, and racist depiction of Russians. (Just for context, I’m not Russian–I’m Asian American.) I’m unendingly frustrated that more people aren’t talking about this and I’m even more frustrated with how willing the current American public is to believe that the US is a righteous savior nation and that any nation that competes with the US is evil. I hope more people start making noise about this, but either way, I’m glad to have found a sympathetic voice in you.
To Mike, there is no need at all to be so condescending. Your objection to Yulia (that “the Soviets were pretty terrible people who did horrific things”) is close-minded, uninformed, and overly simplistic. I can only imagine what gave you the confidence to speak down to Yulia when your comment your argument isn’t even coherent and her article is so poignant and well-written. Please, inform yourself before you speak next time, and open your mind beyond this xenophobic idea that any opponent of the US is “terrible” and should be condemned indefinitely as such.
Hi Kat! Thank you so much for this comment, I really appreciate the support! When I was watching season 3 of Stranger Things and even while writing this article I wasn’t sure whether anyone but Russians would notice how flat and one-sided the characters are. It makes me truly happy that people all around the world (judging from the comments) could see through it and also find it xenophobic.
As for American public thinking that “the US is a righteous savior”, I guess decades of Hollywood movies promoting this idea can do that to people. I want to believe that it’s slowly changing for the better. Just in the last few months an HBO TV-series “Chernobyl” and a European movie “Kursk” were released, both of which show Russians as human beings, not just stereotypical cartoons of people. Although both the TV-series and the movie have their own sets of discrepancies, I was relieved to see that the creators took the time to study Russian history and culture, as well as make the characters deep and relatable.
I want to believe that the portrayal of Russians in season 3 of Stranger Things was just lazy writing, as someone has already mentioned in comments, and that the screenwriters will do a better job in season 4 (since the storyline with Russians is going to continue, judging from the last scene after credits).
I feel this is a very tricky thing to discuss, because on one hand, “whataboutism” can be used to dismiss legitimate criticism of a government’s actions and history. On the other hand, so much of the criticism aimed at the USSR and Russia seems to be coming from a position of implicit US moral and ideological superiority and clean hands, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. It’s a difficult balance to strike and why so many debates about this run off the rails.
I don’t think you get it. The show takes place in the 80s and the culture of that time. It could also be viewed as a hommage to 80s movies (as so much else in this show), where russians were often stereotyped as bad guys. Makes perfect sense.
Hey Marcus! I don’t think starting an argument with “I don’t think you get it” is ever a good idea :D But to answer to your comment, I do get it. In fact, I addressed it in the post itself and explained why, even though the show takes place in the 80’s, I still don’t think Russians as the bad guys are justified. In a show as detailed and well-researched as Stranger Things, one would expect even the bad guys to have more depth of character and reasoning behind their actions than just their nationality.
You don’t get it. “Evil Russians and ‘It’s a full-on Red Dawn situation’ and the fact that the Russian bad guy looks exactly like the Terminator is all part of the joke. It’s homage.
Ok, say, you are right. It is homage and I can even get behind the Terminator character who is too ridiculous to be accidental. But apart form him, everything else is still offensive. What good does it do to pay homage in a way that offends other people?
And another thing, given that a large part of the audience of Stranger Things is kids and teenagers, will they really be able to appreciate this kind of joke? To my mind, it’s unlikely that someone born in 2005 will get the reference to the movies made in the 80’s and 90’s or to the actual political situation of the time. Instead, the younger audience will probably finish the season with a deeply rooted, but biased idea that Russian equals evil.
It’s definitely not just some accidental innocent “homage” as you claim when it reinforces the American Russophobia brainwash (ver heard of “Russiagate”?) and feeds off of the many campaigns of hatred for Russia and Russians. Mind you this is not done for honest reasons, but to defend the status quo dominated by 0.0001% of the population, who are filthy rich and own everything worth owning—from media, academia, and Hollywood to the politicians themselves. What would you want the US to do, declare a nuclear war on Russia so that the whole planet end up in a pile of radioactive ash? This kind of propaganda IS THE REAL evil.
I am a second generation Russian Jew and the reason my family came to America was to get away from the atrocities of the Soviet Union (my great grandfather was sent to a labor camp for being Jewish and subsequently lived his last days there). To see characters of the Russian (soviet) government being portrayed in a negative light, makes me happy because it is an accurate stereotype of how heartless these soviet government officials were (similar to Nazis). I am so glad they aren’t worried about offending anyone for the realistic way officials acted 35 years ago. I hope in 50 years, say if North Korea becomes a democracy or a republic, that our idea of what the North Korean government has done doesn’t soften with time.
Hi Elizabeth! I am glad you make the distinction between Soviet government officials and regular people, but I think that’s exactly what the show is missing. It’s one thing to portray, say, Stalin as a dictator in a historical or political drama, and completely another to simply say “even Russians” 45 times during 8 episodes of a young adult fantasy.
I am all for showing historical events as they were, even if it means addressing the ugly side of my country’s history. But season 3 of Stranger Things doesn’t provide any historical background or reasoning behind the actions of Russian characters. Instead, it makes the equation: Russians = evil. Given that a lot of kids are watching this show, I doubt they will understand the complexity of Soviet history, rather they will see all Russians as bad guys.
Not to mention during the Cold War America promoted fascist dictatorships all over Latin America so that they wouldn’t become “commies”, so it’s not like they were saints either.
True. History is a lot more complicated and nuanced.
I’m half Polish so I’m not always the first to root for the Russians ;) But totally agree on this series being a bit lazy. From being a really smart show in series one, it was really derivative this season – with the Soviet representation being one of the main offenders. Whilst it’s trying to have fun in the 80s – music, costume, decor et al – the cartoon cut out Russians felt really tired and more reminiscent of James Bond or Indiana Jones. Also in times where the rise of far right views and xenophobia, it does feel a little irresponsible by the producers. The worst scene was the complete lack of any emotional engagement when Hop shot all the soldiers coming out of the lift without blinking – it just felt a million miles away from a show that does profess to have an emotional core. Anyway – glad someone else picked up that it was a shame that we weren’t given better rounded characters – even if they’re well rounded ‘baddies’, it would have been way more satisfying to watch!
Soooo much yes to the scene with Hopper shooting soldiers on the way out of the lift! As in, not yes to the scene, but to the feeling it left. I didn’t mention it in the post, but watching it did leave me with bitter aftertaste. I completely agree that if the Russian characters had more depth and some reasoning behind their actions, it would have made the show better. I wouldn’t be jumping with joy at seeing Russians as the bad guys again, but at least give us some credit to have enough brains to almost destroy the world :D Thank you for taking the time to pitch in, JP :)
Thank You very much for your very interesting article.
Same as you, it baffled me why Russians (or should I say Soviets?) were depicted in such an unsettling way. I am Czech and I am very accustomed to see Russians and all central and eastern Europeans in grander scheme to be portrayed either as criminals, maniacs or brutal villains. So I was not surprised a moment to see the 3rd season to use the same trope. I understand how show creators were in a need to have some evil power for our heroes to fight which would be universally accepted by (mostly) American audience. Yet, all those soviet scientists, soldiers and security staff felt like laughable caricatures taken directly from some cheap 80s schlock movie — a sweating interrogator, a crazy doctor with a needle, stupid patrols made happy by a chitchat about vodka… And most of all — a pack of kids running back and forth through the ‘top security facility’ leaving a perplexing feeling that one is rather watching some kind of crazy comedy on par with Benny Hill. After watching the show for the second time, I concluded that all this blatant nonsense must have been done on purpose by Duffer brothers (and their cohort of co-writers) because in so many other instances they demonstrate how deeply they think all show details through (just watch “Beyond Stranger Things” document, for example). Get soviet soldiers dressed into WW2 uniforms in 1985? Would authors really do such a mistake in the show so focused on revitalizing eighties to such details that one can find hundreds of details-you-probably-missed videos on Youtube?
My points is, maybe all this mess will make sense in next seasons? Time-travel maybe? So these evil caricatures are some kind of brainwashed fanatics taken directly from 40s or 50s where, to be honest, Bolshevists were not much likeable characters as people from Central European countries would probably concur. Well, at least I hope so because currently for me this cliché villainy represented by “evil russkies” is a low-point of the show which, in general, I love so much.
Btw. where did all these soviet baddies disappear upon arrival of the American cavalry? So many shots were then spent on showing us how the whole facility is empty. I wish the soviet army would so quickly disappeared from Czechoslovakia after 1968! :-D
TLDR: Depiction of russian (soviet) characters was just plainly stupid and one-dimensional.
Hey Martin! Thank you for such a thoughtful comment! It’s interesting how you tried to explain “the mess” and all the inconsistencies by time-travel or some such plot twist. I actually did the same.
Around episode 4 or 5 I started thinking that maybe, just maybe, the whole “evil Russians” story line is so ridiculous on purpose to make a surprise ending where Russians are not so bad afterwards and end up working together with Americans on saving the world. I know, how silly of me! :D But I do hope that the creators will react to these comments and change things around in season 4.
No idea where everyone disappeared in the end of the season, maybe they did indeed magically traveled back to Russia (along with Hopper), at least that’s what the last scene after the credits seemed to suggest :D
Hi again,
In a case you don’t know I’d like to recommend you a new Netflix podcast show which interviews Duffer brothers and other people from the filming crew about making Season 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48mFNGf5gdE
Currently, only the first part is published. They discuss the Starcourt mall, its creation and the role in the show. I hope they will also discuss “baddies” in some next episode so we’ll learn more about that specific laughable (or offending, according to one’s perspective) depiction of Soviets.
Also, do you enjoy speculating about possible future of the show? So many theories resurfaced on the internet which, to be honest, I personally enjoy reading as it entertains me a little bit while waiting for next season :-)
To my surprise, nobody cares much about that abrupt disappearance of Soviets at the end. Especially when creators spent so much time on filming (and showing us) empty rooms of the facility. My guess is that the opening scene of season 4 will continue directly where the season 3 ended and will show us what happened during that-specific-three-seconds-long-black-out before Joyce switched off the machinery, followed by a later Soviet stuff evacuation.
Also, I share your idea that it will be shown that Soviets are not as bad (and somehow clumsy as well) as they appeared — they were just solving their own problems on their home soil and it happened they found out Hawkins was a place which might help them enormously in their toil :-)
Ok, the later one is rather far fetched but as we are approaching the end of 80s in the show the geopolitical warming already started (it will be 1986 in the season 4) with Gorbachev as the general secretary of the Communist party in USSR for almost a year. So maybe we will see good/bad Soviets then? Who knows. I just hope that “baddies” will be more interesting than currently offered cliché.
Thank you for sharing this link, Martin! I’ll definitely give it a listen. I did enjoy Beyond Stranger Things on Netflix after watching season 2, so this is great! I hope they will address the “baddies” storyline and definitely hope that in Season 4 the Russian characters will have more depth, even if they stay evil. Russian “baddies” turning human and relatable, as you said, seems too good to be true, but as we say in Russian, hope dies last :D
Btw, until you mentioned the disappearance of Russians in the end, I also didn’t think twice of it. Let’s see if your predictions are going to come true! :)
As an American communist, I am also sick of this crap because it is not only xenophobic and insensitive, but it is harmful propaganda in so many ways. I knew in the first seconds of the first episode when I saw the uniforms (seriously outdated, as you point out) that I was going to be in for a bad time. I’m not at all surprised, though. The American capitalist class never miss a chance to spread propaganda, and entertainment is one of the most nefarious, wide-reaching, and effective means of accomplishing this.
Hi Joseph! I also think that entertainment is one of the best ways to spread information these days. Especially that it gets to you on a subconscious level. I do want to believe, though, that at least in case with Stranger Things, it’s more about “lazy writing”, as some people have mentioned in comments, than about conscious targeted propaganda. I guess I want to believe in a kinder world :)
Today I was hyped to finally start watching the new season, since I really didn’t have the time to do it earlier… Then I play the first episode… Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be so dissapointed by this show… I just quit watching after the first 5 minutes, as I was almost 100% sure where it was going with the stupid stereotypical Evil Russian theme, that the Hollywood never gets tired of using… Then I read the plot, and unsurprisingly found out that I was right… I am not even giving this show a second chance… I am not from Russia, I am from Serbia, just to set things clear… Glad I stumbled upon this great article…
Thank you, Dorde! It makes me happy that people from countries all over the world see this season the way I see it and also find it silly and insensitive. I still have hopes that Stranger Things will get better in season 4 if it comes back with more well-rounded characters that at least have some reasoning behind their actions. Some sort of a twist that would make Russians less evil and more humane would be great too, although I am probably asking for too much. A girl can dream :D
Thank you for this! I was perplexed during the entire season about how they portraited russians and I’m happy to find that more people think the same. Your text is very accurate and it brings up an extremely important reflection!
(Just a short advice: you should maybe consider removing the thing about “hot Brazilian man” from your description. Just as Russians are usually portrayed as evil, Brazilians are often hypersexualized, and this can be really annoying and disrespectful. I’m a Brazilian girl travelling alone and I’ve lost count of how many times people made a malicious smile or joke when I told them where I was from).
Hi Isabela! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! As I was writing this piece I wasn’t sure whether anyone but Russians would see what I saw in season 3. I am glad to have support from people all over the world!
As for the “hot Brazilian men”, I am sorry if I offended you. It was definitely not my intention. I lived in Brazil for a year and absolutely love your beautiful country and people. A while ago, after watching a telenovela Avenida Brasil, I wrote a post where I talked not so much about Brazilian men per se, but rather about my mild obsession with celebrities that was started at the age of 12 when I fell madly in love with young Leonardo DiCaprio :) I’ll definitely think of how to rewrite the introduction part.
I agree completely. Thank you for writing this, I am watching it and I had to stop because of the same reason you felt disrespected. They know their audience are mostly children, so why would they promote this. Like it’s normal to kill someone then wear their clothes, this is kinda sick. How they play their hill billy music to make it sound “ok”. Ugh. Sorry I’m very disappointed.
I share your feelings, Mishka! It’s a shame such a wonderful TV-show turned into a ridiculous parody (at least when it comes to the storyline with Russians). I felt really disappointed that Stranger Things, being such a smart and detailed show, would perpetuate stereotypes. I still have hope that they will do better in season 4. As we say in Russia, hope dies last :)
I’m sorry, I find it hard to sympathize when Russians helped to make an evil racist troll the President of the United States.
In my mind, that’s worse than opening the gate for the mindflayer.
Then there’s bringing a passenger jet down, stealing territory from Ukraine, and propping up a brutal dictator in Syria.
I had high hopes for Russian-American relations during the Gorby era, but Putin is the New Stalin.
Let’s talk when he and Trump are in the dustbin of history where they belong.
Hi Davis!
I could as easily name a bunch of evil things American government is doing. That’s not what this post is about. While I think Trump is a racist sexist bigot, I do not extend that opinion onto American people. Nor do I see American people portrayed as sexists and racists in movies and TV-shows which of course makes sense since majority of the movies are made in USA. But I can assure you Russian movies (as small and insignificant on the world arena as they are) do not do that either.
Stranger Things is vilifying Russians as a nation and puts those stereotypes in the minds of kids and teenagers. You may find it hard to sympathize, but in the end what kind of world will we live in if we can not connect and understand each other on a human level?
There is definitely something very twisted going on in the American entertainment industry. I can easily accept the Russian mob archetype, the extremist military or political defactor archetype and even your afformentioned “Ivan Drago” archetype (ya know the kind raised just to knock American heads in). But the representation in stranger things 3 is totally a nod to the 2016 election conspiracy theory that the Russians compromised democracy. HBO also chooses 2019 as the year to release their Chernobyl documentary and there are other examples in the past year alone where entertainment has gone off the rails exploiting russians, fear of communism what have you. I really wanted to like this season but the “evil russians” who were simultaneously bumbling morons out of something like dr. Evil’s goons from Austin Powers getting overpowered by a 19 year old ice cream server or being outwitted by a 10 year old was embarrassing. I dont know if the creators just felt like adding that plot point in there or if this stuff comes from an executive level but it is seriously f’d up. I’m not saying there should be but you won’t see Chinese communists as villains in anything American made. But it is just gross how in these days where everything is supposed to be p.c. and everything is supposed to be inclusive that this stereotype can continue. I mean joyce byers in the Russian military fatigues almost made me do a spit take. Stranger Things is a show that has a good heart I can’t believe they got swayed to go that route so uncalled for.
This is a really thought-through and compelling comment, Bobby. I agree with your every point and couldn’t have said it better. I do want to believe that, at least in case with Stranger Things, this turn of events in season 3 is a consequence of “lazy writing”, as someone has already mentioned in comments, and lack of research (which seems doubtful given how particular the Duffer brothers are), than an executive decision that came from the top. Maybe I am naive. But it feels like perpetuating these stereotypes on purpose would be too cruel.
I wrote in the post how insensitive it was for American characters to wear Soviet uniform. What I didn’t mention is Wynona Ryder drowning in that oversized uniform which honestly took the situation to a whole new level of ridiculous and offensive. Glad someone else noticed it. Thank you for taking the time to share your opinion here!
Bobby – correction: refer to the Fallout franchise for your Chinese commie villains. Very popular here in the States. I’m sure there’s several more examples if we take a bigger look.
Also: I completely understand the resentment against the stereotyping, but did any of you happen to notice the stereotypes of American society? It’s honestly just a rough, but you’ll only see/find what you are looking for.
Hey Nate! I don’t think I particularly look for stereotyping of Russians in Hollywood, but it’s hard to miss someone saying “evil Russians” a few dozen times during 8 episodes.
As a Russian, I obviously take inadequate portrayal of my people closer to heart than any other nation. But watching Stranger Things this season really made me think about all the other movies/TV series that portray people around the world. For example, I quite liked Narcos, but apparently Colombians do not love it at all.
Now every time I see foreigners in an American movie, I think twice about their accent, behavior and motivation. And I am sure certain groups of American people are stereotyped as well. It’s just that this is a personal blog of one Russian woman, hence the post about “evil Russians”.
I also arrived at this page by googling something along the lines of “the russians in stranger things are ridiculous”.
I’m not Russian, nor have I been to Russia. But I have always hated the way they hire American or British actors and ask them to speak largely in Russian for the entire film. That was the one positive this time, as you said.
But it is amazing they can get away with portraying Russians like this still. It highlights weakness from the writers, who are both white males from America. The 80s theme is a nice part in Stranger Things but portraying Russians as bumbling idiots in REALITY instead of just in perception is really offensive, in my opinion.
Thank you for support, Martin! It makes me happy that people from different countries and not just Russia (as we are obviously biased here) can see through this storyline and find it offensive.
Hiring Russian actors is definitely a step forward. Although sometimes I think why would those Russian actors agree to play in a show that vilifies us! That’s quite a silly notion, of course, but I can’t help it :)
I am not Russian or American and I totally relate to your article. I found it so cheesy and dull this Evil Russians twist in this season.
Thank you, Alex! So glad to see that there are many like-minded people!
Just started watching a few episodes, cannot agree more. The worst part is they let those kids repeating those words; what would it make audiences of their age think—and dream in their dreams of becoming hero? How many more generations will they keep these stereotypes in mind. And we are seeing comments about brainwashing in Russia; such evil the America politician. I feel sorry for American kids.
That is exactly what upsets me most. The younger audience is unlikely to process the plot of the series in relation to the actual political events of the time. What they get from season 3 is that Russians are evil just because, for no particular reason whatsoever.
All the other movies where stupid Russians are depicted have nothing to do and no relation with Stranger Things… Stranger Things plays in the 80s where the Cold War was a thing. Where both America and The Soviet Union wanted to rule the earth, claimed stupid things and tried to scare the other with an arms race.
I hope in season 4 they will explain exactly what they intended to do with the gate, and with the creature they caught, but I do not see Stranger Things vilifying vilifying Russians as a nation, like you said in one of your responses… They do make the military seem a bit silly, but then again, look how they stereotype the less smart American country folk as well. It is not like they only pick on Russia here.
But like I said, I need some explanation in the next season, which I totally expect to get. Otherwise I will be disappointed as well…
Regards, a non American, non Russian guy.
I like how almost everyone who comments here mentions what their nationality is (or what it isn’t) :)
I do understand that the show is set in the 80’s during Cold War era, and yet, for me, that is not reason enough to make Russians the bad guys. I would expect more depth and back story from such a smart and detailed show like Stranger Things than the bad guys are bad just because they are Russian.
I lost count of how many times the words “evil Russians” were used in the 8 episodes. And it feels not only like vilifying, but a kind of dumbed down vilifying. So even kids can understand who’s the bad guy here. Like you, I also still have hopes for the 4th season to do a better job of explaining what is happening. Fingers crossed :)
This is so true! The first thought that came to my mind was exactly this- why Russians always have to be portrayed evil? And the most ridiculous thing was that the creators did not even reveal the reason why Russians were trying to open the door to the Upside-Down, just like you pointed out. I am an Indian, I too am completely sick and tired to see that Americans think that Indians live in the Stone Age. I was watching Sex and the City the other day and was shocked to hear that the main character say that in Indians it takes about 6 months for a letter to reach from one place to another. No! even in the 2000s we were progressing swiftly. I found some absolutely ridiculous stereotypes regarding Indians in That 70’s Show too. I mean obviously each country has its history and is still plagued with numerous problems but that doesn’t give Americans the authority to mock our culture and heritage!
I think everyone would benefit if movies from other countries, and not just the USA, were shown around the world. At this point, Hollywood dominates the film industry, and American movies are the only ones people all over the world know. Nobody can show India and Indian people better than Indians, and no-one can portray Russia and the true character of Russian people better than Russians themselves. It goes for any nationality. I guess we should make better quality movies and learn how to promote them world-wide. Then there will be less stereotypes and more understanding of other cultures.
Hi. I was thinking exactly this while watching the show. My main problem is that how no one protested to such racism during production. Even if they insisted on using Russians, they could have explained why exactly they want to open the gate. I would be ok if it was portrayed as some big-scale science project, and I guess that was their idea, but the explanation Alexei gave was really floppy and weak. It seems like this whole Russian plot is going to continue next season, and I’m not really looking forward for this series that much anymore.
Hey Maryam! Exactly my thoughts in the end of the season, when they showed a prison in cold-cold Russia covered in snow (because it’s always winter in Russia, according to movies). I am dreading the next season, but still have hope that the plot will turn around and they either give Russian characters more depth or maybe even make Russians and Americans work together on saving the world from monsters. Although the latter might be too much to ask for :)
I was told that this is pretty much what happened at that meeting.
DUFFER BROTHERS: Hey, here is the script for the new season.
PRODUCER MAN: Wow, I love it. But why did you make the American government evil again?
DUFFER BROTHERS: Um, because it’s the evil government, always looking out for its own interests, only cares about making money for the corporations that own it, gives two farts about its own citizens.
PRODUCER MAN: Look, you’ve got to be a little more patriotic than that. The times are tough, economy in shambles, dollar losing its dominance, we can’t go calling our own government names. Why don’t you make Russians the evil bad guys?
DUFFER BROTHERS: Russians… but this is middle America we’re talking about, Indiana…
PRODUCER MAN: You’re smart you’ll figure it out.
:))))) I think this is exactly what happened! Didn’t expect such a turn of events from Duffer brothers after the incredible work they had done before. This explains everything!
OMG! I thought I was the only one thinking of this.
I also thought I was the only one! And now there’s a whole bunch of comments here — I am pretty shocked myself))))
I couldn’t continue watching the fifth episode without searching ”Stranger things 3 racist”, and that’s how I found your blog.
Yulia, привет :) I TOTALLY agree with most of your post – except for the language quality you mention. True, I’m not Russian, but I’m married to one and fluent in the language. I seriously couldn’t understand half of what they were saying in Russian, except for a few exception (mostly the torturing « doctor »), and my husband was not always able to help any better. It really felt like the actors where at best second generation speaker, with little on site experience… What upset me the most was the scene where Murray convinces a guard to let them through by speaking Russian – HOW could anyone be fooled by such an horrific accent ? It doesn’t make any sense! Anyway, thanks a lot for your article, it feels good to be able to share our feelings !
Hey Lilenok! Hmmm… interesting thought about the language! I think I understood most of it, especially, that apart from the Alexi character, other Russians had at most one or two lines to say. But maybe I was just too excited to hear better Russian than I usually do in Hollywood (when foreign actors pretend to be Russian). My expectations are so low at this point that as long as it’s not complete facepalm I am happy :D
Completely agree about the scene with Murray! I admire the actor who learned so many lines in a foreign language (he spoke quite a lot of Russian in the course of the series), but he could never pass for a Russian with his thick accent and fool the guards. Absolutely impossible!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I am glad you found my blog :)
I just started watching season 3 and I haven’t even finished the first episode but I am DONE with the show. It is 2019, wake up! I searched if other people feel like me and this is how I found your article. (I am only half Russian and have grown up in Bulgaria)
So effing sick of the whole bad Russian guys thing and apparently I’m not the only one who feels the same way. Way to ruin a decent show..
Also the actors have terrible accents and have very bad intonation and pronounciation which is just getting exhausting and old, I don’t buy that they are Russian. Not to mention it is a bit rich for Americans who are the first ones to get offended over everything remotely close to a stereotype but are always portraying Russians as a halfwitted demihuman wildlings.
It’s 2019, maybe it’s about time the US screenwriters pull their heads out of their asses and see the world. How ridiculous is it that a whole nation believes the world revolves around their country and has a distorted view on the world outside, looking condescendingly down upon everyone without an American citizenship?!
I mean, I’ve been a fan of Hollywood since I can remember but enough is enough, some things are crossing a line (like dropping another unnecessary film with bad russians) and when there is no more value to the things we’re being offered to consume there is no point of me wasting my precious time supporting an industry that has not developed even slightly when it comes to Russian characters in decades.
I will NOT be watching this season thanks.
Great work, #strangerthings. #shameonyou! #timewasters
I read someone in the comments said Russian government is bad,, oh because the US are so great? Starting wars on foreign land since the beginning of time just to steal oil? Talk to me about brainwashing! Majority of Americans remains fairly ignorant about every other country besides their own, that’s if they even know something else exists besides the US! Hence the TERRIBLE portrayal and horrible acting of any character that is supposed to be Russian, French, German, or anything else besides American really! Actors barely being able to say their lines in a foreign language, shitty 2 dimensional characters based on gross negative stereotypes. It is so so ridiculous coming from Hollywood considering the US started this whole thing with what is offensive – you can’t shame fat people, skinny people, all the racism, sexism ans homiphobic thing and YET stereotyping whole nations as bad or stupid or anything negative is acceptable?!
The hypocrisy level is through the roof, so are the delusions about how great and good your country and government is!
Hi Zina! Sorry for the late reply!
I guess that’s what offended me the most too — the hypocrisy. With USA being on the forefront of promoting a better, safer, more tolerant world (at least with words, if not always with actions), it’s strange to see whole nations being demonized and portrayed as evil, stupid, and so on.
And it’s not only Russians who get such image in movies. To be honest, knowing how different the real Russian people are from the way we are portrayed makes me doubt every other foreign character in American movies. I wonder if French/German/Chinese (you name it) people do the facepalm as I do when they see themselves portrayed in Hollywood and whether they can understand their own language with heavy accent of American actors :)
I’m fluent in Russian and German. I can confirm that Hollywood depiction of Germans, especially in regard to having non-German actors try to speak German in horribly forced and stilted ways (and sometimes you can just TELL the line was written in English with English idioms and such in mind and then translated, and it’s awful), is equally painful.
Has nobody heard of dubbing? I swear to god.
Hi! :) I definitely agree with everything you said in this post. I am American but my boyfriend is Russian and I have visited him twice in Novosibirsk and both times were absolutely lovely. Russian people are incredibly nice and welcoming and the culture is great. I never want to leave when I visit. I’m so very tired of the ignorance being blown out of proportion. The only thing I enjoyed about it was hearing the Russian language so much while watching. It made me want to go back!
Hey Sommer! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed your time in Russia! A lot of posts on my blog are written in order to promote Russia as a travel destination. Because of these stereotypes cultivated in media and entertainment, a lot of people feel scared to go. I always try to encourage everyone to see my country for themselves. Crossing borders and meeting actual people helps to understand each other and break these silly preconceptions. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment :)
American here who also found you by asking google about the Russia thing. To me, it’s clearly a commentary on the current political fodder in our country. And, to me, it’s clearly wrong. It’s wrong to villainize an entire people. It’s also extremely lazy writing. I couldn’t get behind the Russians as the bad guys. Where was the motive? What was the drive? Why are they so bad at being bad guys? A mall as a base of operations… seriously? I’m sad because I love this show but I hated this season. The Neverending Story duet was the only great moment in it and had absolutely nothing to do with the plot which is probably why it was amazing.
“Why are they so bad at being bad guys?” hahahahaha this made my day! So true! Exactly my feelings! I loved the first two seasons, but from the first minutes of the third one it was all disappointment. And yes, the duet was sweet and touching!
One thing I’m so conscious of is the attitude a lot of my Russian family has that ‘the West hates us’. They don’t believe in the Skripal poisonings, because they get told the Western media lies to them. Exposés on corruption or abuses in the system by Western media get dismissed because ‘they hate Russia, of course they’re going to tell lies about us’. This also leads on to only using Yandex or VK because the government says the Western alternatives are biased against Russians and we have to rely on our own services. Just the other month a bill was signed to try and cut Russia off from foreign internet services, potentially making a Great Firewall style system that stops Russian citizens accessing the internet. And the justification for this is that because of the West’s hatred towards Russia, Russia could be disconnected from the global internet, so we have to cut ourselves off first. Many people in Russia have no other information except Russian news sources, which constantly say the West hates us, and also Western media, where they constantly show evil, brutal, monstrous Russians. So you think ‘oh they’re right, they do hate us, so we won’t believe what they say and we won’t use their news outlets or their websites, and we must stick to ourselves’. Stranger things has a huge viewership internationally, to demonise an entire nation is mind blowing (conscious that they also said ‘Russians’ instead of Soviets. Realistically, would there not have been a Ukrainian person or two working in the lab?) It was ridiculous, some of the guards almost looked like they were wearing prosthetics they looked so evil and villainy. And a great point about Alexei too, people are saying ‘no they weren’t showing all Russians are evil, look at Alexei!” but as so often in Hollywood films, the one likeable Russian is likeable because they hate the fact that they are Russian, and when the others kill him it enhances the hatred the viewers should feel because a loveable, innocent character is killed by his own people. People always talk about the massive power of representation. If you’re told constantly that the West hates you, and all you see of yourself in the eyes of the West is portrayals like this, some people begin to believe it, especially older people who don’t use the internet so much and are less connected. If Western nations want any kind of dialogue or progress wants to begin, can they start by recognising that an entire nation of people aren’t evil, and stop making money off the idea that they are? So glad to see an article like this, and to have the anger and honestly sadness that I’ve been feeling put into words.
Hi Della!
Thank you for sharing you thoughts and sorry it took me a while to reply. All you say about Russian people not being responsive to Western media is true. Especially when we talk about older generation who only watch pro-government channels on TV. I encounter it every time I travel home. There’s a lot of skepticism, and people definitely brush-off any accusations of Russian government’s actions too easily. And the justification is, as you said, “they hate us”, “they lie”, and so on.
But I have to say that it’s a two-way road. While Russians don’t believe in Western media, Westerners (Americans and Europeans) would not consider getting any information from Russian sources (there are Russian media in English) or even listening to what Russia has to say. I once talked to my American friend about the situation in Ukraine, and she brushed off all my arguments on account that I quoted Russian news channels. True, a huge part of our media is corrupted, but there are several independent news channels that do a great job. Channels like BBC and CNN surely won’t outright tell lies, but they do omit certain information because it doesn’t fit their point of view, and that is not unlike lying.
In Russia, people think the USA hates us and we should act defensive. In USA, people think Russia is the evil of the world and should be stopped no matter what. Honestly, I am sick and tired of both. Being Russian and having lived in US for several years, I love both countries and wish people were more understanding on both sides.
As a Russian-Ukrainian, the West’s view on the situation in Ukraine infuriates me with how oversimplified it is. The main problem is that for years the two people have been mixed, with many cities in Ukraine, especially the capital and east of it, having a smooth blend of both cultures that would be very difficult to separate. Yet, this separation is actually what’s being forced since the early 90’s with the rise of Ukrainian nationalism. As a result, people are being forced to choose either one identity or the other, choose between two equal parts of themselves. I have not followed the news as closely as my family, but from what I understand the “annexation” of Crimea was preceded by local trends showing that the population of Crimea was largely in favour of splitting off from Ukraine and joining Russia, this was suppressed by Ukrainian nationalist forces, and then Russia intervened in the mess. I see it as more akin to a civil war than a conflict between two countries or a hostile takeover of one country’s territory by another. One other thing few people mention is the clear Neonazi leanings the Ukrainian government has been heading towards for years, and US meddling in the election that caused the Euromaidan. However, Western sources never reflect on these nuances, it’s always just Russia being big and scary and aggressive.
Very well articulated. You are absolutely spot on.
Google: videos of Patrick Lancaster
& see: https://williambowles.info/2022/03/25/watch-the-bbc-debunk-its-own-denial-of-nazis-in-ukraine/
So glad someone actually wrote about this! I’m so surprised how the exact same people that fight against prejudice, nationalism, racism and homophobia are completely ok with dividing the world into “the good” Americans and “the bad” Russians and applaud to a phrase “America is great because America is good”. How the same exact Netflix that fires their PR chief for using the n-word is totally ok with with screening a show that insults the population of an entire country. And Stranger Things is no exception! The list of movies portraying Russians as villains is anything but short… to a point where the “Evil Russian” becomes a norm, a stereotype, that no-one ever questions. Convenient, isn’t it? It’s so profoundly ignorant and it saddens me to see how millions of people happily accept whatever cliches the big media is broadcasting.
Hi Jeremy!
I am glad you found my article and can relate to what I had to say. To be honest, I didn’t expect so many people to get behind the idea I was trying to convey here. And it’s all the more refreshing to see people expressing their solidarity. Maybe exactly that — the fact that people from all corners of the world saw this plot line as racist and unfair — is a sign that we are moving in the right direction.
The post got several thousands views and almost a 100 comments which is, of course, a drop in the ocean of millions of people who watched Stranger Things. But even so, it makes me incredibly happy, that I am not alone :)
Hi Yulia,
While I agree with you on the one-dimensional depiction of this season’s other villains, I also see how the “evil commies” is a homage to the Cold War attitude of both countries.
The whole show is basically a homage to the 80-s, so a lot if not most of the people watching it for the references and clichés as well as the sci-fi mystery. I didn’t like the obvious lazy writing, some of it you mentioned, but that related to the whole season, not just the Soviet plot-line.
I do think the depiction of American military and scientific communities in the previous seasons was too rather stereotypical and somewhat one-sided.
P.S. I really liked the fact that they hired some Russian-speakers, its a hard language to learn on the spot and there are so many actors who speak Russian in US these days!
Hey Maria!
True, several people mentioned here that the Russians plot line (as well as the series as a whole) is a homage to the 80’s and the Cold War. Yet, I can’t get behind it. What good does it do to pay homage in a way that offends people? And that’s exactly how I felt the whole season.
As for American military and scientists being stereotyped in the first two seasons, to be honest, I cannot for the life of me remember much from the first two seasons apart from the fact that I really enjoyed them :D My reaction to season 3 is definitely so edgy because now it’s about my people, so I take it close to heart. We should all be more open-minded to injustices everywhere, but I guess we are only human)))
And yay for Russian speaking actors, indeed! :)
Something I don’t think anyone has touched on is this. Take away the demagorgans the mind flayers and the upside down and the first 2 seasons “bad guys” were the United States government. Mind control experiments with LSD on citizens. Mentally abusing and weaponizing children for a political agenda. Their end game here isn’t demonizing a particular “people” it’s the crazy governments on both sides that crave power. Just for thought
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, John!
That’s actually a really good point. I guess the only difference is that in season 1 and 2 the writers did a better job of translating that idea through more sophisticated means, while in season 3 it was just too blunt and in-your-face.
I thought I was being overdramatic but I’m glad people are sharing my point of view! The moment when the American girl spit in the face of the evil Russian guy was just too much for me… I get that the show is set during the cold war, but can you IMAGINE the reactions if Russia made a show where the bad guys are evil capitalists American???
That would be a world-class scandal! :D But that’s the thing, I can’t even think of a Russian movie or series where Americans would be portrayed as evil just for the sake of it. Happy you share my opinion, Sasha! :)
Being about a year younger than the older kids at that time, I can tell you, that was how we viewed the Russians. The creators never said, “Evil Russians”. That was the kids and that’s how we thought about them back then. Also, the Russians never made any move against the US in the show. They were only here because they couldn’t open the gate in Russia. That’s it. No big attacks and nothing showing that they were “evil” other than being here illegally. They weren’t made to be the “bad guys” any more than they really were considered back in ’85.
As for the Terminator Russian, that was just there so those of us who were into the movies when they just came out would go, “Holy crap! It really is schwarzenegger!” and laugh at the comparison.
No need to be offended. They were accurately portrayed as how they were viewed back then. People’s skins are getting thinner and thinner as time goes by.
Hey Chuck,
I think creators speak through their characters, even if the characters are kids. I don’t doubt that’s how the kids in the 80’s actually viewed Soviet Union, but to show it in such an over-simplified manner in 2019 only plays to strengthen the existing stereotypes of today in people’s minds (and lots of those people are kids and teenagers).
Lastly, when the people of your country are shown in every single movie as drunks, spies, and prostitutes over and over again, it gets annoying. The problem is not just with Stranger Things and me being offended with season 3, it’s a bigger issue of representing the whole nation in a bad light for decades. Stranger Things was just a tipping point for me to finally say something out loud.
Hi Yulia. As a Ugandan, I completely feel your pain. We Ugandans don’t even get to have problems that are specific to our country. Our problems are continental. They are just African. Disease, poverty, corrupt governments and wildlife is what makes all of us Sub Saharan Africans the same. We have no cultural differences. There’s nothing positive about our existence. I’ve studied in Europe and whenever I’ve tried to speak about my country, I’ve been met with a complete lack of interest but if anyone should speak about the popular European countries (because even Europe has this problem where some countries are interesting while others are dry and boring so countries like Spain, Italy, Switzerland, France are rich with culture and history but Finland, Iceland and Poland no one really cares about), then the whole room suddenly gets excited. I too have grown up watching Hollywood TV and movies and Russians are always portrayed in a negative way. It’s what prompted me to google ‘what Russians think about Stranger Things.’ The only time I have ever come across a positive portrayal of a Russian on any sort of media was a documentary I watched on Al Jazeera that was about a Russian community trying to protest, I can’t remember what exactly but it was the first time I saw ordinary Russians who were not military, involved in intelligence, doing ballet as you said or involved with some sort of criminal activity.
Hi Mary!
I am sorry it took me a while to reply, I’ve been traveling for the past few weeks and wasn’t active online. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You have a really interesting perspective, coming from Uganda.
I have to agree, I also feel like people often rate countries… some are good and others — not so much. When I was migrating to USA no-one ever asked why I am doing it. By default, USA is one of the “cool” countries. While when I moved to Sri Lanka, some asked me “Sri Lanka? Why don’t you go somewhere in Europe?” like if western-European countries were the paradise on Earth.
I think the only time I saw Russia (and Soviet Union) portrayed positively was in a documentary “The Untold History of United States” (there’s also a book). It’s not all rainbows, but there’s definitely a lot of debunking of the common myths and stereotypes.
Zdravstvuyte Yulia,
Can I just say that if I am a Russian, it is offensive that Hollywood is trying to portray racial stereotypes in modern media? For example, the history of the two World Wars and Cold Wars is remembered to be the most “tragic, gruesome, and largest global conflicts” involving all of Asia, Europe, Pacific, and Latin America. Our heroes the Russians, Chinese, British, and Americans sacrifice their lives to defeat Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan.
The Russian who liberate the whole of East Europe, freed any Nazi-occupied nations are the ones that liberate Berlin. Now, what are they are for? Communism. So instead, of recognising them as heroes, the Yankees decided to make some of us the Chinese, Russians, South East Asians, and East Europeans as cartoonish and communists villains. I do not understand why would Stranger Things want to glorify Russia as the bad guys.
If my grandfather was one of the Russian soldiers who gave up their lives to protect the motherland, why is Hollywood trying to cosplay as the Red Army Soldiers as if it is a piece of joke?
I am glad that I have found your blog and your outrage to be very expressive and firm with your disappointment. Compare to the ignorant and arrogant mass media and internet weebs. I do not understand why people are ignorant of history. Why is this propaganda of anti-Russia or russophobia is becoming a daily writing way of broadcasting cultural offensive media?
I’m going say another polarizing example of a stereotypical film called Crazy Rich Asians. I am from that demographic but I was offended of the racial stereotypes that most of the society are going label my culture and race. It is honestly getting tiring where sometimes the nice, hippy, trendy, genre is becoming a “go woke get broke” propaganda.
Hi Nathan! Sorry it took me a while to reply to your comment. Your remark about the WWII and the Soviet soldiers who gave their lives is incredibly relevant. In fact, the characters of the series wearing Soviet army uniform was more offensive to me than anything else in Season 3. But I doubt many viewers picked up on that “little detail” and paid it any attention. And the reason is lack of history knowledge.
Hi! Thanks for the article. I was also disappointed when I saw that Stranger Things 3 used that stupid evil-Russian-organization-trying-to-destroy-good-and-innocent-America. It’s over used and insulting at this point. Russian government may be kinda meh but this doesn’t make Russian people evil. Enough with the cold and evil Russian assassin-stereotype! I’m from Finland and we may have had our fights in the past but it still bothers me to see our neighbors getting insulted like this.
Hi Sini! Sorry it took me a while to reply and thank you for support! “Over-used” is the right word here, I am really sick and tired of seeing Russians portrayed as simplified stereotypes of people. Glad people from all over the world can see through it!
Unfortunately, it is done for malicious purposes. It’s called “dehumanization”, and it is a tool to prepare the public to accept horrific onslaught. Ie, when the time comes for war, the conditioning would allow the combatants to not view the other side as human and push through the barrier of conscience that usually prohibits us from murder and atrocity.
Even the replies to the thread in this article signify it. Most of the foreigners here wish to detachedly discuss how this “is just 80’s throwback homage” and “it’s only the goveeeeernment that’s shown as evil” and “plus, the USSR was objectively bad cuz I’m Polish/Jewish/East German and my grandma told me so”. There’s no real fervor in addressing the apparent xenophobia, there’s no heartfelt offense. At most, a clinical examination that “yeah, there might be foul bigoted play at hand… but on the other hand, isn’t it justified really because you people didn’t tell Putin to give Crimea back (so that more Russians could burn there like in Odessa)?!!”
Imagine an African society/culture/characters in an American film being shown this way. Imagine an Asian one. Imagine an attack on say, Mexican people of this sort – we’d never hear the end of it from CNN/Huffington/BBC about the dastardly racism of white supremacist colonial screenwriters.
I’ll tell you what’s going on here, in no tip-toeing terms. They show us this way because they prepare to attack us, eventually. Because they don’t plan to compromise with us or co-exist with us. Asians, blacks, Latinos and Muslims get their piece of meat thrown to them in form of feel-good cultural produce because they’re primed for absorption and subservience, eventually. We’re primed for annihilation, though, so there is no need for concession – only for dehumanization. So there’s no drive for appeasement and cultural sensitivity. Despite Russia being the 10th largest foreign film market, there’s nothing that’s being catered to us in Hollywood, Netflix or Amazon – get it, they don’t even need your money! Because forming a deep-rooted cultural attitude towards Russians that would guarantee that all eyes will be averted when the genocidal bloodshed starts is priceless.
And that attitude is plenty highlighted in the show. You notice a common theme in this stereotyping? No, it’s not that we drink vodka all the time, or are making evil world domination plans? No, the common theme, even in such “acclaimed” pieces of schlock like “Chernobyl”, is that we Russians are firstly hateful towards ourselves. That we are so animalistic that we don’t value our own lives and the lives of people around us. That we are self-destructive and utterly flawed in this savagery. That we kill each other more than our outside enemies do and care not for the consequence. And the logical, emotional connection to this theme is frighteningly simple – if Russians don’t care about their own lives and destroy themselves with glee, why should we? We should help them, then. It’s not bad to destroy something already self-destructive. Don’t pity the subhuman animals, they don’t possess the higher cognitive functions of a freedom-loving, life-valuing westerner, just point and shoot, and put them out of their misery.
That’s the real message. No pity or empathy or understanding is offered, and never will be. It’s hard to kill humans, but killing faceless, violent and regressive drones is a real man’s duty.
Yes, for a general America that is not that bright, I hate that this stereotype is portrayed. And I so wish they “didn’t go there” because I really want to recommend the series to my friend in Russia for other reasons.. it’s very disappointing. But at the same time, the point you made about the cold war is seriously what this soviet characterization is about and I can appreciate its portrayal. If you were not in the US in the 80s, you have to understand something.. the villains in this movie are spies and soldiers. This is exactly how we saw the Soviet government in the 80s–not the civilians (like Alexei), but the government. Our leaders, including Reagan, demonized the Soviet government quite well, “keeping their civilians trapped behind a wall, standing in bread lines, and not allowing them freedom of speech.” And keep in mind, this show didn’t portray the US government much better, willing to do “whatever it takes _to children_” in Season 1 to spy on the Soviets all the while receiving funding for the Star Wars program. Also, this is the decade when The Terminator came out, which is why that character was there.. _and_ Jaws the Polish Bond villain was popular then, too. The thing about this show is that it attempts to be so true to the 80s in every feeling and aspect, and to that, it is doing an excellent job. For those of us who were around the same age as the kids back then.. we totally relate and can now take the stereotype for what it is.. a historical stereotype. But to the general American public who is already afraid of Russia, yes, it’s definitely bad timing, and I get it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that in Season 4, like in Season 2, the villainous government has a few more redeemable characters.
Hey Gar! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment. I see your point, and there’s definitely a duality to the situation. As you said, on the one hand it’s a realistic portrayal of how American people saw Soviet government at the time, on the other hand, a large chunk of the audience won’t be able to connect the dots.
If we were talking about a documentary that portrayed Soviet Union and its policies as they were (even if it means my country is shown in bad light), I wouldn’t mind. But since it’s fiction and the characters are overly simplified, I took it to heart. I see where you are coming from, though.
im from argentina. i used to like the series. i couldnt help to notice sudden and deliberate anti russian propaganda on season 3 and i wonder why. i think the script is sionist-sponsored this time. they keep doing the same shit, over and over again, as if nobody knew. noobs.
I tend to think it’s just writing based on stereotypes (as silly as they are) that worked for generations than a deliberate wish to hurt anyone, but maybe I am too naive.
Hi, Yulia! I am a Russian and I am a feminist. Even in my own country I do not feel welcome. And you expect welcome from people of other countries. Well. What can I say. Could you do me a favor and replace “send a man” with “send a human”? Thank you for attention.
Hey Evgeniya! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. What do you mean by “replace “send a man” with “send a human”?
I can’t help but wonder if instead of it being Russians as villains in Season 3, the villains could have been corporate America (which, ultimately, was, and is, a cancer in American society as well as the rest of the world — see banana republics as an example). The trappings are all there, especially with the cause of the issue being in a mall. Then there is the fact that American corporations and American military interests are closely linked — it’s as system that’s propped up by blood money, therefore it would easily have continued the plot thread where Season 2 left off, with the domestic public sector conspiracy switching seamlessly to a domestic private sector conspiracy.
As it stands, however, while I liked the character development of this season, and found Alexei to be endearing, the use of Russians as villains is, in short, lazy, offensive, and utterly dated. Not to mention the fact that their being in Hawkins to begin with is utterly ludicrous as a plot.
Hi Erica! That’s an interesting thought! But I think they had way too many product placements in season 3 (like Coca-Cola, Burger King, and Adidas to name a few), apparently valued at 15 million dollars, to make corporations the bad guys :D
Alexei was, indeed, a lovable character. I just wish he didn’t have to betray his own country to be seen as nice.
Thank you for do not afraid of defending Russians in modern society.
> We live in an age when asking someone “Where are you from, pal?” is offensive, but saying “I was busy saving the world from Russians and monsters” is totally fine.
Even worse, unfortunately. In the one of EU country, I got a response in one of the banks that “we’ll not open a bank account for you because you’re Russian”.
If they will say “because you’re black” ― they’ll be fined or in prison.
If they will say “because you’re gay” ― they’ll be fined or in prison.
But “because you’re Russian” ― totally fine, nobody will spawn twitter shitstorm to defend you.
Hi Alex! Wow, I honestly can’t believe a bank would refuse serving you on account that you are Russian! I hope you were able to solve it and that nothing of the kind will ever happen again to you or anyone really.
brilliant post that I found my google when searching for an article on globalresearch.ca that addressed the same issues you addressed and why I’m pissed off with constant Hollywood TV and film depictions of Russians as evil deep state actors, drunks, prostitutes, and gangsters and this was the final straw for me. I hope they ditch the Anti-Russia hysteria plot in the next season but far too much profit is being made with Anti-Russia/Putin derangement syndrome. Nothing more I can add but brilliant article and what a sad state of affairs it all is.
At first I thought S3 of Stranger Things was digging into the “Evil Russian” tropes of the 1980ies. But those aren’t even the Evil Russians of the 1980ies – those are the Evil Russians of the 1950ies and 60ies. They are entirely one dimensional, sadistic, disingenuous and dehumanized. If they had picked any other nation and painted them like that, people would be calling racism left and right. The only excuse I can think of is that in the previous seasons, when the villains were American, they were not particularly deep, either. I still like the show, but I agree that wasn’t a good choice.
I hate to break it down to you, but the russians who support their goverment to smash the children of syria just to support a hateful regime is more than evil.
The hateful goverment of russia was always playing a good devil work that don’t make the american angels because both countris are up t9 no good and one day they gonna destroy this world with their hate.
Two seasons and they are showing how evil the american goverment can be and they tryed to do the same, so you have to see the big picture hear.
The show is trying to tell you how evil both goverments can reach just to win the cold war
Great article. Today’s shows become more of political weapon rather than form of culture or even business, it’s sad. But in other hand, if we russians, would take our tongues out of oligarchs and other high level central comitee bandits asses during all period of our history, we would have create our own hollywood.
Especially, based on the fact. that almost 80% of inventions in film, tele, radio industries were made by russian/soviet engineers. And we wouldnt need to cry about unfair portraying us.
As a Russian-Ukrainian – yes, thank you.
Netflix in particular seems prone to this for some reason. Their shows are full of anti-Russian messages, occasionally as jokes. Stranger Things has it. The Politician, which is not about Russians at all, has the obligatory few evil Russians/Russian hacker jokes. Netflix’s Carmen Sandiego surprised me recently by featuring a short, very stereotypical scene where characters break into a server room underneath the Kremlin and get past some very old-fashioned looking Russian military types. What surprised me (in a bad way) was that this is the show based on a children’s geography book that features, at least once per episode, lengthy and educational expositionary asides about the country and/or city that episode happens to be set in, usually the entire country (be it Sweden or Australia or New Zealand) but sometimes even just one city (which is to say, the US city of Boston got its own aside, complete with the Boston Tea Party). Despite this, we and the cast go for the first time to the capital of Russia and… nothing.
It’s just annoying and tiring.
Hi Yulia, Hello Everybody,
So I got around watching this season and my pet peeve was the “evil Russians”. Now stranger things does use a lot of cliches, but it makes them work with the unique story and awesome characters. It is basically part of its’ brand. If I look at it from that angle they actually nailed it: the evil Russians as enemy without any motivations, characters are very much part of that cliche just as Alexei, who a lot of people liked but I swear I’ve seen “that one friendly Russian guy” character so many times, it was boring. What I’m trying to say is that using cliches wasn’t new to Stranger Things at all, so this comes as no surprise. They also nailed every part of this evil Russians cliche perfectly. That being said my personal opinion of it is that: it’s boring, it’s annoying. I would have very much preferred if said evil Russians actually had some interesting characters among their lines, and motivation. Just more in-depth. Or just choose a completely different bad guys.
Have a nice day, :)
Gabor