After hearing for months and months about this millennial phenomenon Stranger Things, my boyfriend and I decided to hop on the bandwagon and give it a go. 20 minutes into the first episode, I knew that Netflix had achieved greatness once again. Every review that I had heard of Stranger Things never failed to mention how utterly terrifying it was. Admittedly, I'm not very easily startled from on-screen horrors, but this show kept me on my toes and kept my breathing labored. Just in case you are an even later bloomer than I was, here are just a few reasons why you should invest eight hours of your life into watching Stranger Things:
1) The cast is composed mostly of middle-school age children, and they are all phenomenal actors. Child actors aren't overly abundant overall, every once in a while you'll get a prodigy like Dakota Fanning or Chloe Grace Moretz. However, Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) and the two teenage actors, Natalia Dyer (Nancy) and Charlie Heaton (Johnathan) deliver performances that took me by surprise. I was completely invested in the story of these kids and after seeing interviews with them off-set, I've fallen even deeper in love with them as people.
2) Winona Ryder is back and better than ever. Ryder, everyone's favorite ex of Johnny Depp's, is probably most well-known for her roles in Edward Scissorhands (1990), Black Swan (2010), Girl Interrupted (1999), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) as well as her super random appearance as Mama Spock in the 2009 remake of Star Trek. In Stranger Things, Ryder portrays Joyce Byers, a single mother raising two sons and working at the local general store when her younger boy, Will, goes missing. She slays that role of the terrified and traumatized mother just searching for her cub and when she figures out that something super freaky is up, her unhinged performance was more than enough to keep me dedicated to the show. She, alone, is a reason to check out Stranger Things.
3) You're never going to be able to figure out what the f**k is going on. One minute you think it's aliens, the next you think it's a ghost, and then after that, any successful theory you may have conjured up is immediately shot to hell. The concept of Stranger Things is so refreshingly original, that I was actually pleased not be able to figure out the plot twists. As a person who can mostly predict any and every ending, being unable to pinpoint the plot line drew me in even farther. It's a refreshing mix of supernatural and scientific, and it is executed so perfectly, you won't even know what hit you.
4) Who doesn't love the 80's? That's right, Stranger Things takes place in Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s. You know what was in Indiana in the 1980's? The same thing as 2016...a whole lot of nothing. However, with the 1980's comes one very crucial aspect: the commies. The Russians created endless panic and problems for the good 'ol USA and because of this paranoia throughout that point in time, the idea of Russian infiltration led to even more potential story line paths. Not only were the Russians around in the 80's, but so was the iconic fashion of the time. The swede jackets, big blown out hair and the sick cars all added to the aesthetic of what was overall a pretty stressful show.
5) The last reason you should check out this show is a character that has less than 20 words throughout the entire season but still manages to be a huge stress reliever. This character is Ted Wheeler; the stereotypical 1980s dad who passes out in an armchair every night and wears the iconic Stephen King-esqe glasses. Between not knowing where any of his children are (ever), constantly getting scolded by his too-hot-for-him wife and yelling "language!," Ted Wheeler provides the much needed comic relief between intense scenes.
These above are only a few reasons why you should hop on the bandwagon and check out Stranger Things. As a serial TV watcher, I'm always interested in new shows to pique my interest; I was aware that Stranger Things had been renewed for a second season going into the premiere, so I was looking for something to impress me and make me want to come back for season two. "Coming back" for season two is an understatement of my feelings...I'm counting the days until the release date.
