Season two of the Netflix Original series, Stranger Things was released on October 27th and almost all of its fans are already caught up. The first season was amazing enough, and this season certainly did not disappoint. The Eggo Waffles-loving character, Eleven, played by Milly Bobby Brown, has returned from the “Upside Down” to help her friends go against the terrifying Shadow Monster. Fans of the show admire it for its originality and Sci-Fi events; if you couldn’t tell, I am one of those fans. More importantly, I admire the Netflix series for its ability to capture the best aspects of the 1980s.
Our first bit of 80s nostalgia is given to us in the initial episode of season one, opening with the four boys playing the famous board game, Dungeons and Dragons. Throughout the season, we get to see Dustin, Lucas, and Mike ride their bikes around town to solve the mystery of their missing friend, Will, giving us a taste of the 1985 blockbuster, The Goonies. And if that wasn’t enough, Sean Astin – who played Mikey in The Goonies – joined the cast for season two. Astin stars in the role of Bob, alongside Winona Ryder, another actor known for her role as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice (1988).
The show doesn’t fail to remind us of other great things that the 80s gave to us, including the Ghost busters, which the boys dressed up as for Halloween. To add on to the list, in the same episode, their parents took photographs of them using Polaroid cameras; this is something we all can agree is an important invention of the past and present. Jonathan Byers, Will’s older brother, also takes photographs, but with a Pentax K1000; with this camera, he actually has to develop the film himself which is an activity we definitely don’t see as often. While I’m on the topic of electronics, I must mention the boys’ love for radio and of course, arcade games. Unfortunately, in today’s world, it is hardly possible to find an arcade to enjoy hours of gaming with only a pocket full of quarters.
Let’s not forget the keen resemblance that Eleven – called “Elle,” for short – shares with E.T., from the 1982 film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Both characters are basically “aliens,” being that they do not know how to adapt to this “human” lifestyle. When Mike decides to bring Elle out into public, he throws a blonde wig and pink dress on her. This is exactly what Elliot does to E.T. back in 1982 as well.
Stranger Things is its own special blend of hit 80s movies. It is able to bring back memories for those who grew up back then, while also giving millennials a taste of what it was like. Hopefully, they understand that the whole supernatural part isn’t an actual thing that their parents went through, unless they did; now that would be strange.