Few could have imagined the worldwide pop-culture phenomenon Netflix’s original series Stranger Things turned out to be. The Duffer Brother’s unassuming Spielberg-like series set in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana struck a chord with viewers due to its endearing everyday characters, intriguing central mystery and retro 80’s setting and was one of the streaming giant’s first smash hits – a certifiable television event. Featuring an ensemble cast led by a career resurrecting performance from Winona Ryder, the show made household names of David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown who have both gone on to feature in some of the biggest blockbusters in recent memory. So with the third season of the hit series set to arrive on Netflix soon, it’s time to return to the Upside-Down and talk about just what makes this series so great.
The series centres around four school friends living in Hawkins: Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Will (Noah Schnapp) – typical nerds, for the time, who spend their time in an AV club and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Hawkins is a town with a lot of history and connections, so when Will suddenly disappears the town is left reeling, none more so than Will’s mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) and brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), who team up with police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) to solve the case and get Will back. The ensuing search for Will creates more for the boys to contend with as they stumble upon Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), a mysterious girl with a shaved head and a unique set of abilities, who unwittingly involves them in a dangerous game with a shadowy government organisation who may or may not have something to do with Will’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Mike’s sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is dealing with a similar situation with the sudden disappearance of her friend Barb (Shannon Purser), compounded by the stress of a new relationship with the most 80’s named school jock ever, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery). All these character’s paths eventually converge on a collision course to the Upside-Down, a shadowy realm hidden within ours; a kind of parallel universe where Will finds himself being stalked by an evil creature, dubbed by his friends as the Demogorgon. With the government hot on their tails, the kids and their families must band together with the help of Eleven to rescue Will and save Hawkins from being opened up to the creatures of the Upside-Down.
What makes Stranger Things so addictive and enjoyable to watch is the way every character and storyline is balanced. Each main storyline is so fleshed out that it’s almost impossible to not find something to like about a particular arc. Whether that be the intriguing Goonies-type interplay between the kids, the descent into madness that Joyce embarks on as she gets more and more desperate to find her son, or just some good old fashioned high-school drama with the Nancy/Steve/Jonathan love triangle. Whilst it may not seem like high school dating drama would have anything to do with the overarching plot of Will’s disappearance and Eleven’s powers, the show is developed so that every detail factors into this central mystery. Every character gets their moment to shine meaning audiences can invest in whoever they most relate to or find entertaining – they’ll surely be pleased by the payoff of that characters big moment. This broad appeal definitely helped the show become such a cross-cultural hit; despite its rating (the show isn’t technically for kids but we all know they watch), it manages to appeal to almost every major demographic.
Another, and perhaps the most recognisable, part of the charm of Stranger Things is the nostalgia. From the clothes and hairstyles to the classic rock soundtrack and synth-heavy score, the show oozes with early 80’s charm, another layer to the story that puts it in something of a bubble: a modern sci-fi horror story told through an old school lens. It comes as no surprise then, that in a show filled to the brim with retro film, music and pop culture references that the creators, the Duffer Bros have paid tribute to perhaps the greatest filmmaker of the decade: Steven Spielberg. The show pays homage to a number of the iconic filmmaker’s movies and combines them in a manner that feels familiar without beating you over the head with it. The connection Mike and to a lesser extent, his friends, develop towards Eleven is akin to Elliot and his siblings connection to the friendly alien in E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Where ET was able to make bicycles fly, Eleven is capable of launching vans over bicycles as they ride by and murdering a room full of soldiers with her thoughts. Similarly, the lights hung by Joyce which act as an improvised ouija board to contact Will is a play on the musical tones used by the aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind to communicate with mankind. Where those tones signalled the aliens’ peaceful intentions however, the lights are used to a more sinister effect, a warning about the impending horrors to be unleashed on Hawkins. It’s these familiar beats that draw us in as viewers and the dark, killer twists on them that sink their hooks into us and capture our attention.
Hooking the viewer in with nostalgia alone is not enough to make a cohesive show and the Duffer Bros have wisely recognised this on a narrative level as well as on the technical side of things. The series is shot wonderfully, the intimate moments captured up close and personal, with longer takes where necessary to give us the full effect of the actors performance. One shot in particular comes to mind of Joyce clutching the bundle of christmas lights which Will has contacted her through for the first time. The camera slowly pulls back from Ryder’s face buried in the lights as we see her sob silently and more of the house is revealed. It’s a subtle device that makes the audience feel like the scene is still moving whilst we are transfixed on Joyce; it’s not that we’re expecting some big event to happen and in fact nothing monumental to the story is happening at all, but it’s an important moment for the character of Joyce, one that really makes the audience empathetic and puts us on her side for the rest of the series. On the flip side, the action heavy scenes are handled in their own unique way; often relying on flickering lights or scenes shot at night to hide some of the pretty terrible visual effects on the Demogorgon. It’s a smart choice that, when combined with the eery synth laden music really adds to the atmosphere of the scene; tying in with the Upside-Down’s distinct visual style: a nightmarish mirror image of Hawkins in perpetual night, where frost and slime reminiscent of the Alien films covers everything.
The true strength of Stranger Things is in its cast and without this group of actors there is no doubt that the series would have been a different beast altogether. Everyone is pitch perfect, each playing something of an 80’s archetype with a twist; there’s the alcoholic police chief with a troubled past, the school jock suffering from an identity crisis, and the young girl with telekinetic powers who has spent her life locked up in a government facility forced to kill mice with her mind – ok maybe that last one isn’t your conventional 80’s character. Winona Ryder is the standout of the ensemble and the emotional heart of the show. Her drive to find her son and unshakeable belief that he is still alive provides some truly heart-wrenching scenes as her desperation increases. Ryder perfectly encapsulates the heartache and panic of a mother separated from her son; the scene in which she communicates with Will through a set of Christmas lights allows her to show a remarkable range as she cycles through desperation, overwhelming joy and sheer terror all within a few minutes. David Harbour shines as Chief Hopper, something of a slow burn of a character, who the audience unravels more and more each episode. Whilst he starts the series as an aggressive, somewhat jaded man who clearly has experienced some trauma, his connection to Joyce’s struggle begins to tear away at this hard exterior and allows for Harbour to deliver a very nuanced performance building towards an emotional breakdown in the final episode; in which Hopper’s backstory is revealed and the reason for his personal interest in Joyce’s situation is uncovered.
Not to be outdone, the younger portion of the cast delivers stellar performances across the board. The trio of Mike, Dustin and Caleb in particular have a difficult task in that they represent the audiences introduction to this wider world of monsters and powers and are the only characters that really have a complete picture of everything going on. Wolfhard leads the charge here, given the most to work with in the sense of the overarching plot, his relationship with Eleven becomes key to empathising with both characters. The somewhat imbalanced parallel of Mike learning to talk to a girl whilst Eleven learns about life outside the government facility is played for laughs at times, but each is significant for the individual and the series perfectly captures the feeling of discovery and frustration children experience when change forces them to grow up. Matarazzo plays the somewhat stereotypical “funny kid”, given free reign over majority of the comedy and he absolutely excels, with a charm and comedic sensibility not often seen in child actors. Whilst not a major part of the plot, he has some quality moments and offers the respite of a laugh when the story around him gets a little too dark. Without a doubt the breakout star of the series is Millie Bobby Brown, following her terrific turn as Eleven. In what would be a difficult role for even the most competent adult actor, Brown is exceptional as the damaged young girl who must recover from her traumatic past and adapt to the world around her and learn what it means to really be a child. The slow progression of her character is fascinating to watch, with Brown often conveying complex emotions and discoveries with facial expressions alone.
Stranger Things is one of those series that comes along and leaves an indelible mark on television history; a true pop-culture phenomenon and a litmus test for just how high a Neftlix property can soar. The Duffer Bros have crafted a truly compelling mystery wrapped up in 80’s nostalgia filled with excellent characters and performances all working together to form something truly special that audiences around the world have swarmed to. With such critical and audience fanfare, we’re likely to see many more seasons of the hit show beyond the impending season 3, and I for one am willing to spend as much time in the Upside-Down as I can get.
Stranger Things Season One stars Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and David Harbour – streaming now on Netflix.