*Note: This article contains Stranger Things spoilers*
By Caroline Connick | Staff Writer
Try not to get trapped in the “Upside Down” when you watch Netflix’s original series, Stranger Things. This gripping sci-fi series is all the scandal and mystery of Pretty Little Liars, childish shenanigans and adventure of The Goonies, super-human action of the Marvel franchise and treacherous other-worldly encounters of Avatar all rolled into one. There’s comedy, drama, 80s’ reminiscent charm, and even some aspects of horror. This show will have any audience glued to their seats.
The stars of the show are a very tight young band of friends named Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas. The most exciting aspect of their lives is their recurring and passion-filled games of “Dungeons and Dragons,” but that all changes when Will goes missing. Around the time when Will goes missing, a young girl who had been held prisoner in a secret government lab escapes into town hoping to find someone who can save her from her captors. While trapped in the lab she had been experimented on, and developed a superpower similar to telekinesis, only even more powerful and sometimes dangerous.
After a close call with her captors, the girl, who during experiments had been given the number “Eleven” instead of a name, runs into Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. The trio hide her in Mike’s basement while working together to figure out where Will is. Meanwhile, Will’s mother and older brother are also working with the local police to figure out what happened to him. The government lab from which Eleven had escaped has opened a gate into another dimension-“The Upside Down” as she calls it- where a terrifying monster comes and goes, terrorizing everyone in its path. The monster took Will, and later takes Mike’s older sister Nancy’s best friend, Barbara, into the Upside Down where they are left to die.
The lab executives tried to cover up their horrifying act by planting a fake body double of Will for police to find. However, Will’s mother realizes that her son is trying to communicate with her through the electricity in her home. She then devises a system in which Will could light up letters that she had painted on her wall to spell out what he was trying to say. Will’s older brother Jonathan and the police dismiss her as crazy until the police chief discovers that the body in the morgue is a fake. Now it is up to Eleven to learn to hone her powers in order to find the missing children and defeat the monster.
This show, classified as a sci-fi series, had very big shoes to fill. It boldly targeted audiences familiar with the greats such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avatar. This audience had very high expectations and the Duffer Brothers delivered in their creation. The story is an emotional thrill ride, and every episode ends with a cliffhanger that sends the viewer clicking on the next episode as fast as their fingers can move.
The special effects on the show aren’t particularly impressive compared to larger franchises like Star Wars or Marvel, but it didn’t really need it. After all, telekinesis is a tough superpower to make into a really graphic visual phenomenon. What makes the show great is the story that it tells. The characters are so lovable and believable, and the viewer roots for them in spite of their flaws and lack of trust in each other.
This show fuses sci-fi, drama, comedy, and mystery genres in an unprecedented, seamless manner. The secret lab, alternate dimension, action, and superpowers featured on the show appeal to large sci-fi and fantasy audiences. The drama and scandal of Nancy’s social life as well as the quest to find Will and Barbara attract drama and mystery audiences. The comic relief of Mike, Lucas, and Dustin keeps comedy audiences coming back for more. The frightful encounters with the monster intrigues horror audiences without giving all the other audiences nightmares. The finale of the first season leaves a few questions unanswered, but the main conflict of the story seems to have been resolved. It will be interesting to see what the Duffer Brothers do with future seasons of this Netflix series. Who knows? We just might be telling our children about the first time we watched Stranger Things with the same fondness that our parents tell us about the first time they watched the first Star Wars. If the Duffer Brothers continue on the path that they started in season one, this series has serious potential to stand the test of time.
