Late To The Party: Stranger Things Does(Almost) Everything Right

Okay, I'll admit, for someone who co-runs an entertainment blog I might not always see all the hot new shows and films as soon as they come out. I might not even write about them as immediately after I finally do see them. But in this case, I'm glad I didn't rush to put out an article right away. Its given me time to better evaluate the experience, and made you more desperate to read anything published about the show while you wait impatiently for season 2. Which works in my favor.

I watched Netflix's Stranger Things over the course of 48 hours in 4 episode stretches, which is about 40 hours longer than many took to binge through the whole thing.

Why can't we live in a world where the episode count is 11

Through each episode I became more and more pleased with the show. It has everything. Mystery, drama, a well structured plot, a great script, and best of all, child actors that can ACTUALLY ACT, which is like the Holy Grail in Hollywood. The comparisons to Spielberg, King, and John Carpenter(excellent repeated references to The Thing not withstanding) are definitely well placed, as the Duffer brothers have made their inspirations clear to anyone who is a fan of the Sci-fi/Horror genre.

Don't take that as a claim that they ripped anything off from the above creators, far from it. I was amazingly pleased to see the way they used these references and inspirations to build a believable, familiar world to let their originality shine in. The way certain classic tropes were adhered to stringently while others were turned on their heads and then inside out was incredibly refreshing and fun.

Until the final scene.

This is my main and only real beef with Stranger Things. Not that some things were left unexplained, I expect that. I WANT that. Especially if there is to be a season 2 (spoiler alert: there DEFINITELY is). What I DON'T want is to have a hackey, predictable ending tacked on to one of the most original pieces of media I've seen in the past decade. Without spoiling anything, it has what to me can only be described as an "Oh come ON" ending that would do the Nightmare on Elm St. Series proud, in the worst way I could mean that.

The unsettling feeling they were going for could have been achieved in a number of ways. What about that weird obvious Alien reference of a broken egg the Captain Hooper was so interested in while strolling through the woods in the Upside Down? What about the lab? *Sigh* I assume that's all in the pipe for next season, so I guess I cant complain too much. Maybe it was so good that no ending would have felt perfect...but I don't think so. I think its the one place where the homages didn't work.

Oh, and before I go, I'm gonna submit Charlie Heaton as my choice to play Eddie Dean in the Dark Tower series if it goes that far. TELL ME this kid couldn't easily play "20-something 1980's Brooklyn junkie" to a fucking T.

And unlike some suggestions, he doesn't look 10 years too old for the part (*cough*Aaron Paul)

Stranger Things returns for a second season in 2017 on Netflix, where you can currently catch season 1. Be sure to check out our other articles, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter using the links below to help spread the word on Constructive(?) Criticism!