Stranger Things is a show that I never really thought I’d be into, but ended up saying just one more at 3am, with its 80s pop-culture and gripping character developments from the hopeful will-they-won’t-they relationship of Joyce and Hopper to the teenage drama between Steve, Jonathan and Nancy all conjoined by the mystical powers of Eleven, a mysterious experiment by a shady government institution and the dark creepy world she opened a gateway to. The group (Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will and Max) tackle typical high school dramas, bullies and romances, but also the less typical giant D&D named monsters. Like an episode of Scooby-Doo, the D&D obsessed friends along with Eleven, Chief Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan, Nancy and Steve uncover the dark forces at work over and under the quiet town of Hawkins.
The gripping tales of friendship, love and tension filled action, including some sadder moments fill all seasons but season two focuses mostly on the mystical upside-down world. Characters develop and we get arguably the best bromance ever in the form of Dustin and Steve. Steve starts as the popular, mean jock of high school but develops into one of the best and most loved characters. With the end of season one seeing Eleven sacrifice herself for her friends and going into hiding unbeknown to everyone but Hopper and reemerging in season two, she finally closes the gate and defeats the Mind Flayer, a force possessing Will and allows Eleven to come out of hiding to live a ‘normal’ childhood. Season three focuses on that life, but also the return of the Mind Flayer believed to be dead, possessing people to reopen the gate. Oh and there’s a classic 80s Russian secret lair underground with an evil plan.
Season 3 gives us some great new stories, interactions and characters but also some sad moments. Can Joyce’s love interests get a break in season four please? Overall, it’s a great series and hopefully season four will give closure on who is the ‘American’ in Russia, how will Mike deal without Eleven with him and will everyone survive outside of the sleepy town of Hawkins?