So, if you've read my binge-watching article, you probably have picked up on the fact that I am OBSESSED with "Stranger Things." Can you blame me? This whole time I'm gonna try my absolute hardest to be as vague as possible (nobody likes a spoiler), but you've been warned.
Here's why I think it's the best thing that has happened to America probably since Mike&Ike's reunited.
1. A generic plot-line, or is it?
Young boy goes missing from a small town where, basically, nothing happens in the 1980s and his little nerdy friends come to save him. Big deal? First off, SIR, they're not nerds. AV club is dope. Second off, there is not one moment the entire show where you will say "Oh, I knew that was going to happen" or "oh, I'm bored." It's too well directed and written to be performed like that, and you need to actively pay attention to pick up on everything that happens.
2. Those ACTORS
Besides the fact that Winona Ryder is forever a queen, there's truly no acting that even comes close to comparison. They didn't win an Emmy for casting for nothing! And while the adults pull their own weight with their respective roles (**cough cough** Joyce Byers **cough cough**), it's the minis who really bring it home. The oldest of the six main kids is currently only sixteen, and none of them really have extensive acting experiences prior to "Stranger Things," but each of them are incredible. Millie Bobby Brown auditioned for Eleven when she was 10, and the Duffer Brothers still think she is the best young actress they've ever seen. Finn Wolfhard auditioned from his bedroom, over video conference, sick as a dog, and was STILL the immediate choice for Mike. This isn't a coincidence, people! Still don't believe me? Look up any scene Will is ever in. Then we can chat.
She's so cute and smol. I cry.
There's some crazy things that happen in this show, believe you me, but it's how the characters come back from the crazy that really makes the show what it is. Steve Harrington, played by Joe Keery, goes from your typical high school jerk jock to a completely different person (remember, no spoilers!) by the middle of Season 2. Nancy Wheeler, played by Natalia Dyer, goes from your usual gossipy teenage girl to a total warrior. Dustin even gets teeth! That counts for something!
It's a major heart-string-pulling, fear factoring show. Two major thematic topics underneath the show are teamwork and friendship, and that really pulls through. From the boys taking Eleven under their wing and making her feel like she belongs, to the Snow Ball scene, to watching Joyce slowly lose herself in finding Will, to, basically, anytime Hopper talks about his past, you feel the emotion. Sure, it can get super scary at times and yeah, it's absolutely hilarious to see some of the things that happen to these kids, but this show is so wholesome and welcoming and, frankly, so real that it's hard to believe that it's acting. You're gonna cry in more ways than one.
In both the seasons 1 and 2 finales, there are twists and turns, but they seem to come to a distinct conclusion ... or do they? The Duffer Brothers have built up such a hype over this show because of the fact that they release 9 episodes, which you watch in a weekend, and then you wait a year. They ALWAYS leave you wanting more, and. the hating yourself because you should've savored the show while it was new :/
So, "Stranger Things"100% meets up to its hype and the accolades it's won. It's a show for the ages -- something parents will probs force their kids to watch in 2030. 2040, and 2050. If you haven't started, I honestly don't know what the heck you're waiting for.
She's so cute and smol. I cry.
