We love genre mashups. Like Joss Whedon’s Firefly (a western about pirates in outer space), Stranger Things successfully mixes popular genres, becoming an ’80s sci-fi kids’ adventure/thriller that’s not really meant for a youth audience. When The Goonies meets The X-Files and lasts for 10 hours binged in one weekend, you get an entertaining and engaging series.
Although the show revolves around the missing boy, Will, we actually care more about Barb. Maybe it’s her absolute perfection as someone who walked straight out of the ’80s in mom jeans and oversized glasses. And we love the ’80s; therefore, we love Barb, and we grieve for Barb.
Winona is back, and we love her crazy. For a show set in the ’80s about kids, who better to be cast as a mom? Thank you for your screams and cries and ingenuity with Christmas lights.
We have a new appreciation for timeless things, such as Eggo waffles, long-saddled bicycles, Chevy Blazers, and walkie talkies. And we remember that it is actually possible to survive in a world without smartphones. Just make sure you reconnect with your middle school science teacher in case you need to build a device to take you to another realm.
Gaten Matarazzo taught us what cleidocranial dysplasia is, and his emoji has become a face of nostalgia for the ’80s in the 20-teens, worn proud to spread awareness.
Telekinesis can be resourceful. It was scary and destructive in Carrie, but when this power is given to the right person, like a little, hungry girl with a shaved head who doesn’t speak, it can be a lifesaver, literally.
When terrifying things come out in the night, there’s a good chance that a secret government agency is behind it. But when a loner cop with a deep-rooted past who has no qualms about sneaking through restricted areas, a group of kids who realize that D&D may not be fantasy after all, an escapee from a government experiment who is out for revenge, a loner teenager with a camera, and a single mom who speaks to lights are all on the case, the truth may be uncovered.
But, apparently, all that isn’t enough, because we can’t wait for Season 2, especially because the Duffer brothers are bringing an actual Goony to Hawkins. Hey, Mikey, you gotta go help the boys find Eleven.
