Stranger Things Season 1 (Spoilers/Review)

So I'm about 3 years behind everyone else, but hey, better late then never right? Honestly, I've seen the show all the way through like 4 times now, but I figured I'd talk about it with a little over a month until we get season 3, FINALLY. It's also been far too long since I wrote something out on here, so I figured it was as good of a time as ever. So lets begin.

So Stranger Things was released fairly quietly back in 2016. I don't remember hearing MUCH about it, not until everyone started to watch it. The show took over in July of 2016, and for good reason. I waited a while until the hype went down for me to catch it, and I was kind of mad at myself for waiting so long honestly. I waited until there was a trailer during the Super Bowl for season 2, for me to finally say "fuck it" and see what all the noise was for. Obviously, if you haven't seen the show, there are going to be some small spoilers, so if you want the rating, or you're just waiting for me to ask "what you are waiting for" then here it is. What the Hell are you waiting for, go watch the damn show.

For me, Stranger Things gives me 2 things I actually genuinely love. Good Sci-Fi (you know the kind, the kind when Stephen Spielberg is on top of his game kind), and 80's nostalgia. I'm a 90's kid through and through. I was born in July of 1990. I missed some great things that happened in the 80's and early 90's. So with Stranger Things seasons 1&2, I get to live out some of the great things of the era that happened before I was a twinkle in my daddy's eye. Old Coke commercials, He-Man, Atari, and E.T. It's so great to see nods and references, as well as seeing commercials, posters, and billboards promoting those said things. Personally, I'm looking forward to S3, because it takes place in '85, the same year MJ won Rookie of the Year, New Coke came out, and movies like Breakfast Club and Back To The Future were on screen. Yes, I do realize that some other important things came out, but in this storyline, not yet. Nintendo came out in November of '85 after all.

All that nostalgia aside, there are other things to love about this show rather than just fan service, callbacks, and old Coke cans making their appearance. The show has a great cast, a great story, and a lot of great "human" moments. So many times, shows get the "human" moments wrong. Whether it's "character development" or just normal dialogue, so many shows tend to sound far too robotic to be believable. However, this show does a great job of not going over the top with it's dialogue, but staying grounded in ways that are important to the characters, including their own knowledge. What do I mean by that? Well just because we see connections or coincidences, doesn't mean the characters do. It's important to make sure that certain characters don't have certain knowledge they haven't been presented with, taken apart of, or figured out from clues given by the other two. There aren't a bunch of stupid, infuriating moments with the characters that just suddenly decide to do something that makes no sense to who they have been written as. Yes, I'm looking at you Game of Thrones.

The show takes place in November of 1983, with four kids, Mike Wheeler (played by Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (played by Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas Sinclair (played by Caleb McLaughlin), and Will Byers (played by Noah Schnapp) in Mike's basement. They are playing the still beloved D&D in this early scene, with Will trying to cast a fireball, but having apparently failed. As the kids leave Mike's house and ride home, they each break off until Will is all by himself. Will comes face to face with some type of monster that we merely hear, but don't see, something that was also attacking a scientist in the opening scene. With this, we have our story. The town believes Will to have disappeared, and are on the look out for him, while the rest of the family tries to hold it together. Joyce Byers (played by Winona Ryder) and Johnathon Byers (played by Charlie Heaton) try to deal with the aftermath of Will seemingly disappearing. Winona Ryder does some of her best work on this show, and she's a treat to watch as a mother who is stricken with grief, and as strange things happen around her, convincing her that her son is still very much alive, have everyone doubt her. Johnathon is the son that is somewhat forgotten, who had to kind of grow up on his own as his parents were spiraling out of control, is trying to be the most wise one there as he tries to track his brothers last steps. You have Jim Hopper (played by David Harbour) as the sheriff who is trying to figure out what in the world is going on as not only this little boy has disappeared, but another Teen disappears, a man and his son disappear, and a random supposed suicide happens overnight. Jim struggles to watch it all fall apart in a way that is extremely hard to believe with other dimensions and our own government involved. David Harbour with this character absolutely kills it. You slowly start to realize that Jim has had some hard times in his life, having been a cop in the big city, who lost his only daughter to some sort of sickness, more then likely Cancer, and eventually winds up back in the very town he left years back. David really channels the emotion for Jim, and he really does rock it out of the park with this character. Of course this all eventually leads to three other boys Mike, Dustin, and Lucas, to eventually find Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown) as she tries to escape from "the bad men". All while her psychokinetic powers are still in development, and she's learning what she can and can't do. That's all without me mentioning Nancy Wheeler (played by Natalia Dyer) or Steve Harrington (played by Joe Keery), a young couple that start dating, and immediately start struggling as Nancy's best friend Barbara goes missing one night they are having a party.

The greatest thing about the show, is the storylines that all interweave in a way, but really come together towards the end of the show. As characters all learn that they are on the right path together, even if they don't initially realize it. There are a lot of characters to juggle, yet the show does such a great job giving them not only enough airtime, but making sure it's stuffed full of important stuff, and not filler. They don't waste any time with their 8 episodes, as it feels tight, and honest, and not full of silly moments that have no bearing on the plot. Each episode feels tense as one moment might be focused on finding out Will is still alive through an emotional scene with Joyce, another might have Jim finding his house is bugged, or is filled with the kids trying to dodge government agents whose experiments caused the whole catastrophe in the first place. All of this takes place in the fictional, if not real feeling, town of Hawkins, Indiana. I've lived in both Indiana and a small town, even if it was just for a short while, and let me tell you what, they nailed the small town experience there. Everyone knows everyone else, and you feel that with Jim mentioning at one point early on "it's different when you know the person" when he was asked if it felt like he was back in the "big city" with the crimes suddenly happening. Like I mentioned before, the actions, reactions, and choices of the characters feel legit. Even the kids trying to swear at times FELT so Middle School, with their inability to swear correctly, it reminded me so much of that age. It's definitely one of the best parts of the show. The best bits of movies done by the legends of that time James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, or Wes Craven. Funny enough, the movie also took inspiration from Silent Hills, which makes total sense once you've sat down and watched the show all the way through. Honestly, the whole cast just kills it. From the secretive government agents, to the kids and El, and of course Jim and Joyce and the chemistry the just ooze together. Everyone just does such a great job just selling the world and it's surroundings. Even after watching it for the fourth time, there are little things I'm still catching and realizing going back into S2 that I missed my other three times watching. That's just great, layered writing that not only pays attention to WHAT they've wrote, but they are actively setting up future events. The cast is a great mixture of young, up and coming actors/actresses, as well as a veteran cast that brings their "A" game with every episode. The pacing with each episode feels just right too. It doesn't feel rushed, it doesn't feel like people "magically" find things out. It feels like things unfold like they would in real life.

The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, with some amazing long, beautiful shots. Music is also a treat, as it utilizes it's decades best hits at the most appropriate times. Tons of callbacks like I mentioned before, with certain scenes or moments trying to harken back to certain movies that were out at that time. With each season, we get more great additions added to the themes, which reminds me, I can't wait until S4. S4 will take place in 1986, otherwise the known as the year that released one of my favorite films of all time, maybe MY favorite film of all time, Aliens.

I could go on, but I feel like I should wrap this one up, it feels good to be back, but my final rating for Stranger Things Season One, is...

10/10.

This first season was perfect. It utilized each episode, with each character, about as perfect as it's ever been done. It's right up there for me with Daredevil S3 in terms of writing and cinematography, it's right up there with Breaking Bad, or the first 4 seasons of Game of Thrones. It's paced so well, it leaves you in suspense, and is one of those perfect shows you can't wait to binge until 5am. So that's it for this one. I will also do a review of S2 shortly, and when it comes out, S3 as well. I'm also working on a review of another Netflix property, I'll probably post it here, and I'm making a video on ANOTHER TV show, so stay tuned for that. I'll also have my update video of what's to come the next couple of months ready here soon as well. Until then, I'll see you guys, on the next, OnTheShelf.