I Would Definitely Stay: Episodes 1-4 of Stranger Things

  The poster child of the Netflix originals is the show Stranger Things. Part of the appeal is nostalgia; like Happy Days before it, the show is set in the childhood of the now middle-aged crowd. This group looks fondly at this period in their lives, a sentiment reflected in the warm yellow-tinted lighting and the soundtrack of 1980's Top 40. Another part of Stranger Things' appeal is the variety of elements to attract a variety of viewers. While some may find the teenaged love triangle charming, others may be more fond of the camaraderie between the boys or the overlying mystery.

     For such a good show, it does have some flaws. One element that I believe is lacking, while this may be intentional, is the characterization. Mike's parents are meddling yet ineffective, Hopper is the bored and jaded hometown police officer and the boys are far too nosy for their own good. Despite this, some characters stand out as very genuine in their roles.  Winona Ryder's character, Joyce Byers, is so over the top as the hysterical mother that the wrong person would make her seem like she was chewing the scenery. However Ryder's portrayal makes the viewer feel for her every second she is on screen, even if her actions are as ridiculous as talking to a ball of Christmas lights. Another character that stands out is Eleven played by Millie Bobbie Brown. Many child actors are stiff and awkward, yet Brown says so much with her facial expressions and body language that one can hardly notice that she says only a handful of words in the first four episodes. It is possible that the reason that there are so many cliches in the show to begin with is setting up for character development. While I do not see the main children changing very much, it is possible that the sheriff will become a more open and tolerating person, a development I believe we see the seeds of this development when he questions whether or not the corpse in the morgue is real. The possible destruction of these archetypes is intriguing and I think this will keep me watching the show.

     Another flaw was is the occasional emotional cop-out. For example, at the end of episode 3 Will Byer's body is found. At the end of episode 4, the body is found to be fake and status quo is re-established. I personally had to go back through and see if anything else major had happened in the episode, and at this point, I feel like the episode was just filler. While some character development did happen with Hopper and a relationship between Jonathan and Nancy began to blossom, I believe these moments could have easily been placed in another episode without much conflict. The discovery that Will might be alive would have elicited more emotion if the reveal had happened a few episodes later when it would have had more impact on the plot. All in all though, I think that Stranger Things is worthy of the hype it has received and I am glad to have watched it.