He's since become a viral meme star and, in recognition of this, Netflix recently released a hour video of the character doing nothing but drink from his favorite beverage. Though Season 3 gave more of a spotlight to Season 2 fan-favorite, Erica Sinclair, Alexei has usurped the title from right underneath her. Just how did the ill-fated Russian do it? Alexei was wonderfully played by Alec Utgoff, who was born in Kiev, Ukraine when it was still under the control of the Soviet Union. Times in the Soviet Union were very constricting so the polar opposites of the character's relationship to the outside world was pretty cool to play. The scene is utterly terrifying; not because of the supernatural horrors that might lurk in the Upside Down, but because through Alexei's eyes we witness the ultimate violation of the human spirit -- the complete instrumentalization and dehumanization of the individual in service of an inhuman goal. What the Soviets do to Alexei is every bit as evil as what the Americans did to Eleven and the Hawkins laboratory children, right down to the restriction of language.


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The Russian scientist Alec Utgoff dubbed "Smirnoff" has won over viewers. Stranger Things 3 has taken the internet by storm since premiering on Netflix last week. And after fans were given the holiday weekend to binge-watch the latest episode they all seem to agree on one thing: Alexei deserved better. The Russian scientist Alec Utgoff was introduced to viewers after he was taken hostage by Joyce Beyers Winona Ryder and Jim Hopper David Harbour in an attempt to figure out what the Russians were doing beneath Hawkins — and learn how to stop it. He quickly became a beloved character thanks to his switchover too the good side and his love for Slurpees! So when he was ultimately killed, fans were understandably devastated. His smile is so cuuuuuuuuute!!!! Since premiering, Stranger Things 3 has already broken records. The streaming giant released viewer data for the third season of the science fiction series, revealing that
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All he wanted to do was play some fair games and show Murray that he won. He was so excited. I have never gone from pure joy to extreme anger and sadness faster than I did right here. StrangerThings3 pic. Can we please appreciate Alexei "Smirnoff", cuz god! His smile is so cuuuuuuuuute!!!! He's like a lost Russian child hahsndwvvildbdvpapbhpfl StrangerThings pic. Skip navigation! Story from TV Shows.
Stranger Things fans got the chance to see their favorite characters come back once again as they got ready to fight another big monster that was taking over their small town of Hawkins, Indiana. While it was exciting to see them all back again, there was one new character that basically stole everyone's hearts as the season rolled along: fans fell in love with Alexei, a Slurpee-guzzling Russian scientist paired with Hopper, Joyce and the gang. Alexei, or Smirnoff as Hopper so un-lovingly called him, broke out on the scene as a confused scientist for the Russians in their plans to open the portal and take control of the Mind Flayer. After escaping Grigori and fleeing as Joyce and Hopper's prisoner, he ended up joining the team on their quest to reconnect with Murray Bauman. Thanks to Murray knowing how to speak Russian, fans got to see another side of Alexei as he opened up to the group more and shared his hopes for defecting to the United States and putting a stop to the Russians' plans. Even though he had a chance to escape after Hopper gave him the keys to the car that they stole, Alexei still decided to stay back and help them figure out a way to close the portal.