Stranger Things is Dope, Watch It
The best type of television show is a show that engulfs you in it. The characters, nostalgia, visuals, soundtrack, and storyline. There has rarely been a show that has done those things better than Netflix’s Stranger Things. I’m not inferring that it’s one of the greatest shows of all time. It just does each one of those things above average and in a way that comes across as beautiful.
For instance, an all time TV show like Breaking Bad, will do 3 or 4 of those things in another stratosphere. A show like Stranger Things does each aspect so well it seems almost perfect, but when each aspect is examined you can find some sort of flaw. However, that is not what I am here to do. I’m here to praise a show that came out of nowhere, because good grief was this show enjoyable.
Netflix is amazing because half the time I have no idea they’re coming out with something until it is on their home screen. Partly because I pay no attention to upcoming TV shows unless I’ve watched a version of them before. The other part is lack of advertising in mediums I spend time in. I saw nothing about this show in ad campaigns on social media, which could be partially due to the algorithms and whatnot.
Obviously when I see a show that looks like Super Eight mixed with the Sandlot and The Goonies it begs to watched. So my wife and I watched it all in two wonderful days. This show was absolutely gorgeous. It was a blissful experience that was filled with childlike joy. There were obviously times of weird and horror considering it’s a horror/science fiction show. It almost makes it even more amazing because of how innocently this show presented itself. A dichotomy of innocence and horror don’t usually exist in the same season of TV.
Types of shows that focus around a small group of friends in the 80’s is an immediate sell for me. Mainly because it’s like a version of my childhood on steroids. I rode my bike around my neighborhood with friends too. Except kids in the 80’s rode their bikes around an entire city with their friends. Mainly because parenting was awful in the 80’s and parents seemed to have no idea terrible people existed. But those relationships between friends were something I had as a kid and cherished wholeheartedly. Stranger Things did such a good job of encapsulating what those relationships were like.
The main difference between a show like Stranger Things and a movie like the Sandlot or The Goonies is how influential the friendship aspect is to the main story. The first episode or two the only thing I was thinking about was how great the friendships were. The story, visuals, and soundtrack were still amazing in the beginning, but the interaction between the boys was so cool I was caught off guard. The best part of the show was how fast I forgot how amazing the boy’s friendship was in light of the story and other characters becoming distractingly great.
Winona Ryder, David Harbour, and Mathew Modine were all unbelievable in Stranger Things. Joyce, Chief Hopper, and Dr. Brenner stole the screen every time they were on the screen. The second half of the season is when Joyce and Hopper were in many scenes together, and in everyone you can’t look away. Modine was incredible as Dr. Brenner in his limited screen time. He was captivating and interesting an a mostly creepy role.
Stranger Things is one of the only shows ever where I got excited for the introduction and and credits. The music and design around the intro was gorgeous. The sound throughout the show created anticipation and nostalgia. It was a gorgeous display of cinematography highlighted throughout with the wonderful soundtrack.
This show was wonderful. It was an amazing TV experience that highlighted nostalgia and amazing storytelling.It featured gorgeous cinematography and music. It did all of these things in a wonderful season of TV. I highly suggest the show. It is an amazing show to watch at your own pace, although for me a weekend was the perfect pacing. Watching all eight episodes over three days created the perfect pacing and allowed the show to be experienced at its highest quality.I have no scientific data to back that up, the momentum was just great for the way the story was structured.
Watch this show, you won’t regret it.
