Why You Should Binge Watch ‘Stranger Things 2’ in One Day
“Stranger Things 2”, the new sci-fi horror series everyone is talking about, is taking over the internet. Most of us binge-watched the second season a lot faster than we should have. After nine short episodes, we are left craving more supernatural horrors and adventures with the gang. It’s the perfect amount of chilling and suspenseful, yet not too scary. The series is set in simpler times that are filled with heroes, monsters and bad guys, all within the small town of Hawkins. As much as it is chilling, “Stranger Things” has a way of capturing both the struggles of growing up, young love and grief through a beautifully connected plot line. Duffer Brothers – you have outdone yourselves.
Haunting charm aside, the show also receives praise for bringing back eighties pop culture. The show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, gained inspiration from Steven Spielberg and Stephen King. The old town charm along with adventurous conquests makes “Stranger Things” appeal to all ages.
“It’s one thing to set a TV series in the 1980s; it’s a whole other thing, however, to make it feel like it was actually shot during the Reagan and Rubik’s-Cube era” (Rolling Stone).
“The neon-red title sequence could be ripped from a paperback of “Cujo.” The story, about a little boy who gets tugged into an alternate reality, includes visual references to “E.T.,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “Altered States.” There’s a super powered girl, straight out of “Firestarter.” Goo pours down walls, as in “The Amityville Horror.” A gang of kids fights evil, just like in “Stand by Me.” I even got a “Breakfast Club” whiff from a montage of a weird girl who gets a makeover, in a scene with a Tangerine Dream-like soundtrack out of “Risky Business.” The show has a bifocal demographic appeal: it’s designed to charm both nostalgic Gen-X’ers and younger viewers who are drawn to a prelapsarian world of walkie-talkies, landlines, and suburban kids left free to roam wherever they want on their bicycles” (The New Yorker).
Yet somehow the story seems as original as it gets. As the boys conquer the evil Demogorgons, their hilarious commentary and genuine childhood delight fills the background.
And if you haven’t seen “Stranger Things” I won’t give anything away. The plot begins searching for the lost boy, Will. Mike, Lucas and Dustin who are part of the Dungeons & Dragons party, come across Eleven, a girl with a strange past. They are accompanied by their heroic cop friend, Hop, who ends up teaming up with a single mom played by the comeback of Winona Ryder. Don’t forget about the love triangle between Nancy, Johnathan and Steven.
The three plots come together in search for the “X-Files” which include scary Demogorgon and governmental scientific conspiracy. A lot going on. The plot structure did not waiver. Viewers were kept on their toes.
Some critics disagree with the praise. Dani Di Placido from Forbes said, “Overall, it was a bit of an underwhelming finale to an enjoyable season. I’m of the opinion that Stranger Things has nowhere to go from here but down, and that the next season should perhaps be the last.” Harsh.
Still, much of America is obsessed with “Stranger Things.” If you haven’t tuned in yet, you are in for a treat. Unfortunately, for the rest of us, we won’t face the Demogorgons again until 2019.
Sources: Review 1 / Review 2 / Review 3